Pearl farming: Opening new horizons for farmers in Bangladesh

A closer look into pearl farming in Bangladesh which currently includes farmers growing pearls in 90 upazilas in the country and scope for a low-cost, low-maintenance, multifaceted business

Pearls grow in oysters and oysters grow in the sea. It usually sounds like a romantic affair; a precious, luminous gems growing inside a shell and guarded by it until it is taken out. In reality, naturally occurring pearls are rare: one found in every 10,000 oysters or mussels.

Commercial pearls, such as the ones we see in markets, are usually grown by farmers in their ponds. They can also be grown in large drums or tanks.

We recently met one such farmer, Md Kawsar Hossain, in the Parail Bazar area in Churkhai, Mymensingh. In his pond, sized two shotangsho, (871.2 square feet or two decimals approximately) he is farming 700 jhinuk (mussels) for almost a year. In another month or two, it will be time to harvest the pearls.

"I invested around Tk10,000 and if 70% of the mussels survive and around 50% of them make A-grade pearls, I may have a profit of more than one lakh," he said. In Bangladesh, there are three pearl grades: A, B and C with A denoting the highest quality.

Article source: https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/pearl-farming-opening-new-horizons-farmers-538686