Inside the morning rush in Balikhola: The 150-year-old market for freshwater fish
With a rich history and a 150-year-old tradition, the Balikhola Fish Market in Kishoreganj is regarded as one of the largest and oldest freshwater fish markets in Bangladesh. During peak season, fish worth Tk3 crores to Tk4 crores are sold here every day
Aimon Bormon, his brothers, nephews, and a group of other fishermen arrived early in the morning with a trawler full of fish at the Balikhola Fish Market.
The market is located on the banks of Dhanu River in Kishoreganj's Karimganj Upazila.
It was 8am on a February morning. Although the eastern sky was shining bright, every now and then, a cold breeze blew.
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Trading had already started at the market. But the workers on Bormons' trawler had yet to carry all the fish from the boat to the market. Seeing our camera, some of them began to pose with bright smiles on their faces.
Aimon, however, was not impressed at the pace of their work.
"The market is in session and you are wasting time like this? Get the fish to the market immediately!" he shouted. "All hands on deck now!"
He added a generous amount of profanities to his orders, which seemed to work as everyone became busy.
Meanwhile, a red-robed man, looking like a sadhu (monk), climbed onto the boat. He was carrying a small iron bucket with him, which was emitting smoke.
It seemed the man wanted to bless the boat; he was chanting spells and spreading the smoke all over the boat. Aimon shouted at him angrily, startling the man as he moved on to the next boat.
After waiting silently on the neighbouring boat for a few minutes, the sadhu begged the workers for some fish, and they gave him some. A few transgender people were standing nearby, who too were given some free fish.
Meanwhile, the workers continued to carry large plastic containers full of fish on their shoulders from the boat to the market.
The Bormons' fishnets had caught a wide variety of fish that day, including rui, katla, chital, and rita. These were brought to the market to be sold at the preferred arot or warehouse.
Every morning, Bormons and many other fishermen like them come to sell their fish at the Balikhola Fish Market.
The Bormons come from Itna upazila near Karimganj. They fish in the Ujan Shimul River, a branch of the Dhanu River, on government lease.
However, fishermen from as far as Sunamganj and Netrokona also come to Balikhola to sell their catch.
With a rich history and a 150-year-old tradition, this fish market is regarded as one of the largest freshwater fish markets in Bangladesh. It is also one of the oldest.
A daily business of nearly three crores
Founded on approximately 10 katha of land on the banks of the Dhanu River, there are 65 arots in Balikhola where hundreds of fishermen with dozens of trawlers (more than 50 in winter, and a few hundred in fall) come to sell their fish.
Each morning, the area is filled with clamouring fishermen, buyers and arotdars (warehouse owners) as they haggle over the price.
Buyers can get a fresh boal fish weighing a kilogram at Tk300 here, which may cost up to Tk500 in Dhaka's markets. The not-so-fresh ones are cheaper.
Nazrul Islam from Borshikhola village in Badla union has been selling fish in Balikhola for over 15 years. The day we met him, he brought carp, boal, aluni and many other kinds of fish to the market.
Unlike other boats that day, Nazrul's one had some women aboard who were sorting out the fish before they were taken to the market. They came to work from Niamatpur, a locality not far from Balikhola.
"I have been selling fish here every day this season. From ayir, boal, pabda, shrimp to jagla, carp, rui and chitol, I sell all kinds of fish," he said. When the peak fishing season ends, he returns to farming.
District Fisheries Officer Ripon Kumar Paul said the peak season in Balikhola is from November to February. But fish are more or less available throughout the year.
"Balikhola is a landing centre for freshwater fish. Fish comes from Itna, Mithamain, Austagram, Azmeriganj and many other different areas," Ripon added.
He also said around 70 types of local fish found in haor areas are sold here. After the fish are preserved with ice, they are sent to Bhairab, Dhaka, Sylhet, etc.
"During peak season, fish worth Tk3 crore to Tk4 crores are sold here every day," Ripon informed us, adding, "During off-season, the figure is around Tk50 lakh."
A 150-year-old legacy
By 9am, the fish market was flooded with hundreds of buyers and sellers.
Faruk works for the Secretary of the Balikhola Fish Market Arotdar Association, Md Salauddin. He was in a hurry as he had to send the fish to Dhaka by 11:30 that morning.
"Every day, we send up to 150 to 200 kilograms of fish to Dhaka," Faruk said. He showed the boro katla, batashi, boal and other kinds of fish they had collected already and how they are preserved with ice.
However, the warehouse owners here do not send the fish directly to Dhaka. Bigger buyers purchase from them and take the fish to Dhaka or other cities on pickup vans, buses, and so on.
A pickup van delivery to Dhaka from Balikhola costs around Tk4,000, which adds to the price of the fish by the time they reach big cities.
But some of the fish are sold from the arot to small retailers.
Market Secretary Salauddin was conducting the sales.
"Freshwater fish from different districts are brought to Balikhola. Parties from Sunamganj, Dirai, Netrokona, Azmeriganj, Shamar Char, Itna, Mithamain, and Austagram bring fish to sell here. Thousands of people from different areas also flock here to purchase fish," Salauddin said.
"Boal, shrimp, ayir, karfu, baush, shilon, putty, tengra, shol, gojar, chela, chapila…pretty much every kind of freshwater fish is available here," he said, adding, "This market buzzes with people from seven in the morning till noon."
Peak fish season during winter
While most buyers were busy purchasing fish to send them to different parts of the country, some people were taking the fish to dry them.
"There is a large dangi [drying area] at Chauvanga in Tarail Upazila. We are taking these there," said one of the traders.
Meanwhile the Balikhola market only grew busier. No one seemed interested in chatting with a journalist.
However, Tonoy Bormon, the youngest of the Bormons, cared to explain to us the process of how they catch the fish in beels and rivers by making dalas (fish habitats).
"A certain area of the water body is enclosed with branches and bamboos," Tonoy said, adding, "The fish make their habitats here and we don't disturb them throughout fall."
But when winter comes and the water level recedes, they encircle these habitats with fishing nets. "We gradually inch near the dalas by removing the branches. At one point, all the branches are removed and the fish get caught in the nets," he explained.
Although he was helping out the family with their business, Tonoy said he is actually appearing for university admission tests this year.
How much money could the fish they brought that day possibly fetch? According to Tonoy, around Tk2-3 lakhs.
However, later when we spoke to his elder brother Rajan Bormon who keeps the books, he said they sold fish worth about Tk5 lakh that day and Tk7 lakh on the next trip they made.
A loan-based business
Rajan told us they take lease from the government to fish in beels and rivers on behalf of an association comprising fishermen from their Bormon community. The association is headed by Rajan's father.
"After we take the lease, we need money for employing people, creating fish habitats, etc. This is where the roles of dadon and arotdars come into play. The fishermen take loans called dadon from the arotdars," Rajon said.
There are quite a few conditions attached to dadon. The first one being whoever took dadon from an arotdar has to sell his fish at the particular arot belonging to the arotdar and nowhere else.
This way, the arotdar takes Tk5 for each kilo of fish the fishermen sell. For fishermen who didn't take dadon, the fee is Tk3 per kilo.
Rajib, manager of Saddam Motso Arot, said most fishermen who sell to their warehouse took loans from them. "We deduct a certain fee from them, and they gradually pay off the money."
Asked how much fish is sold from his arot every day, Rajib said, "Now the season is ending, so we sell over Tk1 lakh per day. But during the months of November, December, and January, we sell over Tk5 lakh per day."
However, many other arotdars said they were still making a lot more money than what Rajib said he had earned during the season.
As time went by, the crowds began to disperse. Only small sellers like Kanchan Mia were still waiting for someone to buy some fish from them.
Unlike the big players in the fish market, Kanchan makes a meagre profit. That day, he was patiently waiting to sell some bain fish to a buyer.
It was nearly noon when the fish market was closing. The sun was shining brighter than ever. On the banks of the Dhanu, some trawlers were dropping off passengers in Balikhola.
Soon the place became empty. Only the cows grazing the green pasture nearby would remain until the next dawn when the market comes alive again.
