Crab has emerged as a potential export earner thanks to its high demand in East and Southeast Asian countries and increased farming in the coastal belts of Bangladesh, sector operators said.

Bangladesh shipped crabs worth $23.82 million in 2015-16, which was $7.2 million in 2010-11, according to Export Promotion Bureau.

“We mainly export crabs to China where there is high demand for crabs,” said Shafiqul Alam, proprietor of ZF Trade International, an exporter.

During July-October of the current fiscal year, shipment rose 28 percent year-on-year to $3.5 million, EPB data shows.

Fisheries officials said Bangladesh exports mud crabs that are grown mainly in the southern districts such as Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat, along with shrimp.

Officials and stakeholders said many shrimp farmers have started fattening crabs inside their shrimp enclaves to boost earnings.

“The risk of disease is low in crab farming while its market value is good,” said Binay Kumar Chakraborty, project director of a Tk 22-crore scheme of crab and eel fish culture and research at the Department of Fisheries (DoF).

Officials said farmers now fatten crab fingerlings that are caught from rivers near the sea, particularly from the Sundarbans area.

As excessive catches from natural sources may affect biodiversity, cultivating fries in hatcheries has become important, according to DoF officials.

Under the project, the DoF plans to establish a hatchery so that farmers can get crab fries and increase farming for exports as its local demand is low.

Chakraborty said the demand for crabs is high in the Southeast Asian region.

Apart from the main destination China, crabs are also exported to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Bangladesh exports about 1,200 tonnes of crabs a year.

Alam of ZF Trade International said local exporters have been shipping crabs for the last couple of decades.

“It is a non-traditional item. Very few people in Bangladesh eat it,” he said, adding that an area has been developed at Uttara in Dhaka for shipping live crabs by air to various destinations.

He said the demand for mud crabs is high abroad.

“Bangladesh has good potential as it has a long coastal belt to grow crabs. Crabs are widely available during winter,” said Alam, citing that the 1.3 billion population of China offers huge prospects.

“The more we grow, the more we will be able to export.”

The sector faces some challenges. “We can't send crabs to many destinations. Besides we don't always get space in flights,” Alam said.

He demanded government incentives to increase crab exports citing that India provides cash support.

Crabs are grown in many countries in South and Southeast Asia including India, with Myanmar joining the trade of late.