Fresh Haor Fish Market Wraps Up Within Two Hours

With the soft red glow of dawn, fishermen from the Kawadighi Haor and the Kushiara River in Rajnagar, Moulvibazar, rush to the Wapda–Kashimpur market carrying baskets and containers of freshly caught fish. For the past 20–22 years, this decades-old market has been held every morning for only two hours and has gained recognition for its fresh haor and river fish.

Every day fish worth lakhs of taka are traded here, drawing buyers from the district town and distant areas. By around half past six on Friday morning, the market was already bustling. Sellers hurried in with their catch, placing them at the auction stalls. As soon as bidding began, buyers gathered in a circle, and the highest bidder received the fish. Sellers then counted their money before heading home or finishing other purchases.

Although some buyers come for household consumption, most are retailers who purchase fish here to resell at local markets or door to door. Species available include koi, chang, punti, mokha, kakkia, boal, grass carp, karfu, rui, prawn, chanda and various local varieties.

Alongside fish, ducks, chickens, vegetables, betel leaf, cigarettes, tea, paratha and akhni are also sold. Local resident Ashik Mia says only fish from Kawadighi Haor and the Kushiara River are sold here, with no farmed fish at all. The market starts at six in the morning and ends by eight. According to auctioneer Akhlu Mia, fish worth lakhs of taka are sold at the two auction points every day, with more sales taking place outside the stalls.

Khaborwala/TSN