Hailing from Sylhet, Iqbal Ahmed transformed Bangladesh’s frozen seafood trade by introducing innovative export strategies. He was among the first to bring Black Tiger shrimp to the UK and European markets using refrigerated containers, a move that revolutionized seafood logistics. His company, IBCO Limited, founded in 1976, expanded to become a major distributor of frozen seafood and food products worldwide. Seamark Group, under his leadership, has earned numerous international awards, solidifying Bangladesh’s position as a reliable seafood exporter.

Beyond business, Iqbal Ahmed is deeply committed to social causes. As chairman of the UK Bangladesh Catalyst of Commerce and Industry (UKBCCI), he actively promotes business and entrepreneurship among young people in the UK and Bangladesh, fostering opportunities for the next generation. His philanthropic initiatives extend across borders—he has supported and raised funds for the Manchester Children’s Hospital Appeal, the Royal Manchester Eye Hospital Appeal, and the Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital Appeal.

His humanitarian efforts also include aid for displaced communities. Through the Iqbal Bros Foundation, a UK-registered charity, he has been actively raising funds to support Rohingya refugees, providing them with essential resources for survival and rehabilitation.

Recognized as a Commercially Important Person (CIP) in Bangladesh nearly every year since 2002, Iqbal Ahmed remains an influential figure in both the financial and seafood sectors. His ongoing leadership and philanthropic endeavors continue to shape Bangladesh’s global seafood presence while uplifting communities in need.

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The UKVFTA, in effect, has eliminated tariff duties on frozen shrimp products exports to the UK, giving Vietnamese exporters a competitive edge over countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Brazil that have yet to establish an FTA with the UK.

However, it’s crucial for Vietnamese shrimp products to adhere to the rules of origin, which specify that raw materials used in production must be sourced within Việt Nam’s territory.

The department noted that Vietnamese shrimp exporters have been progressively aligning with the UKVFTA’s provisions, leading to positive growth in exports. In the first two months of 2023, white leg shrimp exports reached $30.4 million, making up 69% of Việt Nam’s seafood export earnings to the UK, as reported by the General Department of Customs.

During this period, black tiger shrimp shipments, though constituting only 2.7% of the total, surged sixfold compared to the previous year, signaling a promising trend in the UK market for this product.

Despite a substantial appetite for seafood, including shrimp, in the UK, there could be potential challenges in the near future due to global commodity trade dynamics and rising inflation impacting consumer concerns about pricing.

Additionally, the costs and logistics of seafood imports are expected to pose difficulties. Nevertheless, the UK remains an attractive market for Vietnamese shrimp products in the long run. It’s anticipated that Việt Nam’s shrimp exports to the UK will constitute about 3.6% of the country’s total shrimp exports, which is estimated to reach approximately $4 billion in the future.

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This significant agreement will eliminate bureaucratic hurdles that impede major collaborations and facilitate the development of numerous joint research programs. Among these initiatives are a study utilizing advanced UK technology to detect diseases in shrimp aquaculture and a partnership employing data to identify harmful algal blooms (HABs) that impact the ocean.

George Freeman, the UK Minister of State for the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, highlighted in a press release the robust foundations for enhancing research collaboration. These foundations are built upon extensive trading and cultural ties, shared democratic values, and mutual interests in addressing pressing global issues such as green technology, agritech, biosecurity, and pandemic preparedness.

Mr. Freeman further emphasized that the current agreement is part of an overarching strategy to deepen collaboration with other global science leaders, fostering groundbreaking innovation and research endeavors. The ultimate goal is to address shared global challenges effectively. This partnership is expected to stimulate the growth of future sectors, companies, and employment opportunities, benefiting both nations and the world as a whole.

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According to the stakeholders, people in Chattogram, Feni, Comilla, Brahamanbaria, Dhaka, Sylhet, Kishorganj, Sayedpur, Rangpur and Munshiganj districts are the main consumers of dry fish in the country. Khulna and Rajshahi have less consumers of dry fish.

Asadganj in Chittagong, country’s largest wholesale market. There are 50 warehouses, 250 wholesale merchants, 50 retails merchants and 10 exporters. In total, 3,000 permanent people are constantly engaged in the trade of dry fish here.

A businessman from Asadganj, Dipul Kanti said, “dry fish consumption is getting popular among locals and its even now popular in the Europe, US and across the Middle East.”

He also added, fishermen these days do not use any harmful  chemicals as preservatives because the number of cold storage have increased. So, dry fish makers are getting fresh fish for them.

The Department of Fisheries in Cox’s Bazar says it has adopted new and hygienic methods of drying and preserving fish, thereby contributing to its growing popularity in local and abroad.

Cox’s Bazar district fisheries officer said,  “If fishermen preserve dry fish by adopting the new methods and without using harmful chemicals, the taste of fish would remain intact. This is making dry fish more popular among all classes of people”.

“After removing fish intestines, fishermen are now mixing turmeric and pepper. It is very organic, hygienic and keeps the quality of dry fish unchanged. Moreover, these natural preservatives keep insects away. We keep a close eye on the whole process to ensure that no harmful chemical is added,” he said.

According to the Asadgonj Dry Fish Merchant Association (ADFMA), local production is unable to meet the growing domestic and international demand for dry fish. To fill the gap, dry fish is being imported from India, Myanmar and Pakistan. About 60% of the demand is being fulfilled from imports, while only 40% is met by local production.

There are 30 to 35 varieties of dried fish in the market. The most popular are Chinese pomfret (Rupchanda), Indian salmon (Lakkha), Ribbon fish (Chhuri), Bombay duck (Loitta) and shrimp. At the same time, to meet the local demand, Bangladesh has to import Ribbon fish, Bombay duck, Pabda, and Corica (Kachki) from India; Chinese pomfret and ribbon fish from Pakistan; and Corica and Ribbon fish from Myanmar. Of the imported dried fish, which accounts for 60% of the supplies, 70% comes from India, while 30 per cent is from Pakistan and Myanmar.

Now, the best quality dried fish are being exported to the UK, the US, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE because of its high demand among Bangladeshi expatriates in those countries. For exporting dry fish, about 100 large and small dry fish export processing units have been set up in fish-processing areas, particularly the coastal areas and islands like Rangabali, Sonadia, Kutubdia, Talpatti, St Martin’s, Teknaf, Banshkhali, Anwara, Moheshkhali and Cox’s Bazar.

$7 million worth of dry fish has been exported in the fiscal year of 2021-2022.

EPB (Export Promotion Bureau)

Businessmen, however, expressed their concern over the future prospect of the dry fish business. The county’s dry fish production is falling and fishermen are changing their profession due to the long ban on fishing imposed to help proper spawning.

“The government said this ban was for spawning. But fishermen led a miserable hand-to-mouth existence during that period,” said Jamal Hossain, a dry fish sector stakeholder.

“Pollution and climate change are contaminating the sea water. Consequently, the
production of fish is falling,” he added.

He also said that foreign vessels discharged wastes at sea within Bangladesh territory owing to lax vigilance. Moreover, fishing trawlers of neighboring countries enter Bangladesh’s territorial waters to catch fish, he noted.

“Fish production would increase if the government prevented these two things and there
would be no need to import. Moreover, we will be able to export more dry fish,” he said.

He also blamed the process of catching shrimp fries for the destruction of thousands of fish. He said that in order to collect shrimp fries, the collectors are killing million fries of different species. This practice should be banned in the coastal areas.

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