DHAKA, Sept. 28 -- Bangladesh exports thousands of tons of crab worth tens of millions of US dollars each year as foodies in East and Southeastern Asian countries, mainly in China, have a special penchant for the tasty crustacean.

Exporters here collect crab from mainly coastal zones in Bangladesh as they are fatter and heavier than those of other nations.

The country's weather, soil and water quality is particularly favorable for crab and exporters say they are in great demand in parts of Asia.

Before the sun rises, workers start the process of sorting and packing live crabs into thousands of baskets at their factories in downtown Dhaka areas, including Nolvoge, Uttara.

They heave a sigh of relief when all the baskets are loaded into trucks for export before midday.

Anup, a worker at a crab exporting firm in Dhaka, said they have to separate male crab from the females.

These crab come from almost everywhere in Bangladesh, he said, adding they send the crabs abroad after dressing and packing them properly.

"We get crabs from farms and natural sources. After careful sorting, we send them mainly to China," he said.

There is a high demand for large-sized male crabs in Shanghai, China. "Buyers from Shanghai order far more male crabs," said Gopal Chandra Biswas of Biswas Trade International.

Other Chinese regions including Guangzhou prefer female crabs, he said.

At the factory, baskets full of live male and female crabs are prepared and ready to be sent to different destinations in China and other parts of Asia.

Every day, about 35 to 40 tons of crabs are exported to China from Bangladesh alone, according to industry statistics.

Such is the huge demand for crabs from Bangladesh that the industry now provides a significant amount of work for farmers and exporters.

Biswas said his farm employs 40 people in Dhaka and 25 more people at each crab collection center elsewhere in the country.