Cage culture has bright prospects of yielding around 10,000 metric
tons of additional fishes valued at around Taka 150 crore only in two
rivers of Chapainawabgonj district annually.
Prospect of commercial fish farming in river and different other open
water bodies is bright that can supplement the government effort to
boost fish production in the region to meet up its nutritional
deficiency.
“We have found the potentiality after assessing outcomes of a pilot
project of cage fish culture along the Mohananda River, adjacent to
the town,” Dr Amimul Ehsan, Senior Fisheries Officer of Sadar Upazila
and Technical Adviser of the scheme, has said.
Upazila Fisheries Office and 9 Battalion Headquarters of Border Guard
Bangladesh (BGB) in Chapainawabgonj town are jointly executing the
project.
In the preliminary stage, an experimental unit of 10 cages was
commissioned. Only mono-sex tilapia was promoted for rearing as its
survival capacity is comparatively higher amid disfavourable condition
than any other species.
Farmers are happy with the output of tilapia culture, which requires
small time and effort to get results and have a good demand in the
market.
The fish species that supplies essential nutrients-in particular
vitamin A, calcium, iron and zinc-broods to the rural poor suffering
from under-nutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies(‘hidden
hunger’).
As an effort to conduct a feasibility study of commercial fish farming
in floating cages in the Mohananda River, the project has been
initiated ever first in the northwest Bangladesh. By which, a
demonstrative system of cage fish culture in the flowing river has
been established.
Thereby, unemployed youths, fishermen and local people would be
encouraged towards such type of money-making activities in the days
ahead.
Besides, students and researchers from the concerned departments,
colleges and universities will avail the scopes of sharing knowledge
being learnt from the venture.
As a whole, the intervention is being adjudged as a collective effort
of boosting fish production. In addition to the commercial forecast
the project has an amusement outlook.
Dr Ehsan said around 10 metric tons of fish valued at around Taka 15
lakh can be harvested from per unit annually if water level remains
optimum alongside free from infection of any disease.
He added that a farmer can easily make neat profit worth Taka 35,000
with primary investment of Taka four lakh in every month.
There is prospect of commissioning of 700 to 1000 units in the Padma
and Mohananda rivers from where around additional 7,000 to 10,000
tonnes of fish valued at around Taka 100 to 150 crore can be harvested
every year.
To this end, the policy planners and others concerned should come
forward with positive mind. The existing constraints are needed to be
addressed to materialize the prediction.
“We are putting in our level best efforts to make the project a total
success. I am very much optimistic in this regard,” said Lt Col
Monzurul Alam, BGB Battalion Commander.
Finally, if it’s possible the project will open up a new dimension and
will act as a model in fish farming in the northwest Bangladesh, he
hoped.
(UNB C’nawabganj)
