Dhaka – Bangladesh will attain self-sufficiency in rice and fish by 2018, fisheries and livestock minister Sayedul Haque said on Saturday.
The country earned the status of fourth major fish producer in the world. Fish production is increasing every year due to various steps taken up by the government. So, it is called Bangalis are living on rice and fish. We expect the nation will become self sufficiency of fish and rice by 2018,” the minister said while talking to reporters during a press briefing.
The fisheries department organized the press briefing on ‘Jatka Preservation Week 2017’ at city’s fisheries building (Matsya Bhaban).
The nation will observe the Jatka preservation week between March 11 and 17 with a theme ‘won’t catch Jatka hilsa and won’t loss the country’.
“The government has taken up a project of Tk 900 crore to increase the production of hilsa. All the current nets that used for catching hilsa will be burnt—if the project is approved,” Sayedul Haque said.
He said, Hilsa is sensitive and its breeding ground is mostly located in the confluence of river and oceanic waters. After being bred in fresh water, Hilsha makes its way to seawater again by undertaking a return journey to confluence points.
Available surveys say, about 60 percent of the world’s hilsha fish is found in Bangladesh, which apart from consumption at home exports this fish to India, Middle East, Europe and America.
“About five lakh people in coastal areas are directly involved in hilsa fishing. Besides, 20-25 lakh people are also involved indirectly by providing transports, nets, boats, ice production, processing, transportation, export and others,” the minister said.
The production of Hilsa has increased to 3.95 lakh tonnes in the current fiscal year from 2015-16 FY, the minister said, adding the length of Jatka fixed to 25cm from 23 cm.
The minister said that now hilsa is being spread to Padma, Jamuna, Brahmaputra and Surma.
Besides, jatka catching, transportation, marketing and sale are restricted from November to June each year with an 11-day country wide ban on its catch in October.
The government has increased the amount of food assistance considering the sufferings of the fishermen during banning time of Hilsa, he said.
“The government has assisted 2.36 lakh families in the last eight years under VGF card food assistance programe for the fishermen. A total of 37,788 tonnes of food was given to 2, 36, 176 families in 2015-16 FY. Each family receives a total of 40kg rice. Besides, various materials are given to 42,615 families as per their demand to create alternate profession instead of catching Jatka,” Sayedul Haque said.
The minister claimed that people are now buying hilsa in streets including every golly.
Over the last three decades, fisheries both from natural and pischiculture sources thrived significantly providing a low-cost protein to the domestic consumers side by side with creating jobs and earning foreign exchange.
Under the Jatka preservation, alternative employment for the fishermen and Research Project, the present government provided alternative jobs to 20,785 Jatka fishermen up to 2012- 13 fiscal year, official sources said. – Staff Reporter
