Bangladesh to start exporting crocodile meat

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*Country ready to export crocodiles by

Dec*<http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2009/09/24/8.html>

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Financial Express, 24 Sep 2009, *

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2009/09/24/79581.html*<http://www.thefinan\

cialexpress-bd.com/2009/09/24/79581.html>

 

An unconventional product is being added to Bangladesh's export basket very

soon. The country's lone crocodile farm is going to export crocs by December

this year, reports BSS.

 

" We are very much hopeful of exporting 50 to 60 frozen crocodiles from our

farm to Europe by December this year, " Mushtaq Ahmed, managing director and

chief executive officer of Reptile Farm Limited (RFL), told the news agency

Wednesday.

 

Mr Mushtaq said they are expecting that the maiden export of crocodiles from

Bangladesh would fetch US $100,000, ushering in a new hope in the croc

business in the country.

 

He said the croc farm, situated at Hatiber village under Bhaluka Upazila in

Mymensingh district, has now 825 saltwater crocodiles (scientific name:

crocodydylus porosus). Of them, 67 are big size (average length 14 feet) and

the rest are small to medium size (nine inches to four and a half feet), he

added.

 

After the end of this year's breeding season (July- September), he said, 411

baby crocodiles were born at their farm, which was 240 in last year and 140

in 2007.

 

Narrating his experience in croc business, Mr Mushtaq, a university

graduate, said he had tested different professions, including doing a job in

the UNHCR, but could not settle anywhere.

 

" I had been in search of a somewhat difference profession and at last my

choice landed in a commercial crocodile farm at Bhaluka, the first such

project in the Southeast Asian region, " he said.

 

Thereafter, he along with Mesbahul Huq, a pharmacist and now the chairman of

RFL, then set up the croc farm on an area of 15 acres at Hatiber village.

 

In one hand, the project is Mushtaq's brainchild and, on the other, Haque's

investment has helped a lot to turn their dream into a reality.

 

The two entrepreneurs were aided in their maiden venture with technical

assistance from South Asian Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) and

financial support from the Equity and Entrepreneur Fund (EEF) unit of

Bangladesh Bank. RFL has also received assistance from Southeast Bank

Limited.

 

The duo brought 75 reptiles ranging from 7 feet to 12 feet in length from

Malaysia for commercial breeding of crocs at a cost of Tk 12.5 million. Of

them, eight died on the way to the farm established in October 2004.

 

Mr Mushtaq said they set up the farm with an aim to export over 5,000 pieces

of crocodile skin annually and create a base for earning up to US $5 million

by 2015.

 

Different countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, had shown

their keen interest in importing croc skins from their farm, he said,

expressing the hope that their farm would be able to export 500 croc skins

by next two or three years.

 

" There is a big demand for croc skins, meat and bones in Europe, America and

other developed countries like Australia, Japan, Singapore and China, and

charcoal made from crocodile bones is indispensable for the global perfume

industry. To meet this demand, more croc farms could be set up in

Bangladesh, " Mushtaq opined.

 

In this respect, he stressed the need for a policy on setting up such

unconventional business, otherwise its future could be disastrous like what

was seen in the country's shrimp industry.