Swarighat

Swarighat A wholesale fish market established in 1850 near the bank of the river buriganga. It is one of the oldest markets in the Dhaka city. Today, the number of wholesalers and adatdars (stockists) in the market is between 500 and 700. This market operates for only a few hours in the early morning. Fish is traded mainly in open space. The fish trading system in the market is quite different from that in other markets. Medium and large size fishes are sorted by species and size and are sold in hali (four pieces) basis. Most small, and sometimes, the medium size fishes are sold in maund (37.6 kg) basis.

The fish for sale in the market are brought from all over the country including Cox's Bazar, Teknaf, Chittagong, Mohanganj, Chandpur, Barisal, Kuliarchar, Jessore and Satkhira. They come by steamers, launches, boats and trucks. Customers of the market are small wholesalers and traders doing their business in different retail markets of Dhaka city and nearby towns like Narayanganj, Manikganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj and Savar. Trading operations take place in various ways. Some buy and sell as wholesalers and others act as commission agents. Transactions are settled in cash payments and also the credit sale is widely practiced. In case of credit sales, the settlement of payments are made in a week or at the end of each business day. The average daily turnover of fish in the market is between Tk 2.5 and 3 million and the volume varies depending on the variation in catches during peak or off-season. [Md Masudur Rahman]