Rifat Hossain, a young entrepreneur from Munshiganj, has turned discarded fishing nets, left behind by local fishermen on the beaches of Cox’s Bazar, into a thriving export business.
He now sells the torn and damaged nets to China, where a company purchases at least one ton of nets from him every month.
Rifat Hossain said he sells one tonne of nets for Tk 500,000, sourcing them from local fishermen at Tk 20–22 per kilogram.
He recalls the early days as extremely challenging.
“About two years ago, some Chinese visitors came to Cox’s Bazar and noticed the discarded nets on the beach. They suggested the business idea to me,” he added.
Initially, Rifat was unsure how to proceed, he said, adding that he visited Cox’s Bazar but didn’t know where to start.
Returning to Dhaka and Gazipur, he met with the Chinese visitors again for guidance before coming back to Cox’s Bazar to engage with local fishermen.
He incurred a loss of approximately Tk 65,000 by initially purchasing damaged, unusable nets.
Currently, he sources nets from Teknaf, Shapri Island, Inani, Rezukhal River, Daria Nagar, and Moheshkhali.
He said that the collected nets are brought to Dhaka, washed, and cut into smaller pieces using machines to prepare the raw material for export.
From these damaged nets, Rifat Hossain now earns approximately Tk 500,000 per month, turning what was once beachside waste into a profitable business.
By Hussain Shetu
Photo: Hussain Shetu
