Mymensingh tops fish culture

Mymensingh has topped the list of the country’s districts in inland aquaculture fish production in FY2020-21, riding on pond fisheries.

The district is followed by Cumilla, Jashore, Bogura and Rajshahi, according to the “Yearbook of Fisheries Statistics of Bangladesh 2020-21” published by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) in January this year.

However, the full data of FY2021-22 is yet to be collected and compiled, said DoF officials.

The top five districts produced over 7.42 lakh tonnes of fish, which is 35.52 per cent of the total production from pond fisheries and 28.14 per cent of the total production from inland aquaculture across the country.

In FY21, total fish production from aquaculture on 8.44 lakh hectares of land was 26.39 lakh tonnes.

On the other hand, fish production from ponds was at over 20.90 tonnes, which is 79.23 per cent of total production from aquaculture.

Including capture, culture and marine fisheries, Bangladesh produced more than 46.21 lakh tonnes of fish in FY21 — which is 2.61 per cent higher than over 45.03 lakh tonnes from FY20.

Of the total, 57 per cent came from fish culture while capture and marine fisheries contributed 28 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.

In FY21, Hilsa production also increased by 14,755 tons or 2.68 per cent to more than 5.65 lakh tonnes from over 5.50 lakh tonnes in FY20.

Mymensingh

According to DoF, Mymensingh produced over 3.19 lakh tonnes of fish in FY21, which is 15.30 per cent of the national total from pond fisheries.

In Mymensingh, Pangas has become the prime fish with production going over 1.50 lakh tonnes, which is 46.93 per cent of the total production.

Pangas was followed by Tilapia with 24,226 tonnes or 7.57 per cent; Koi with 20,122 tonnes or 6.29 per cent; Shingi/Magur with 16,010 tonnes or 5 per cent, and Rui with 12,063 tonnes or 3.77 per cent. With a volume of more than 3.39 lakh tonnes, Mymensingh also topped the list in FY2019-20. Production went down by 19,965 tonnes or 5.87 per cent in FY21, according to DoF data.

“A project, titled ‘Mymensingh Aquaculture Extension Project (MAEP)’, was taken in the 1980s. The project was active till 1994 and that has played a major role behind this district’s rise to the top,” Mymensingh District Fisheries Officer Dilip Kumar Saha told The Business Post.

Under the project, farmers in each village of the district were encouraged to try aquaculture. They were given loans from Janata bank, he said. “Here, the size of some fisheries is 10-15 acres. The fish culture increased rapidly after Pangas production started in the large fisheries.”

According to DoF, there are more than 1.79 lakh ponds in the Mymensingh district at present.

Cumilla

In FY2020-21, Cumilla surpassed Jashore and secured the second position by boldly increasing its fish production. Cumilla’s fish production from ponds increased to more than 1.38 tonnes, by 15,977 tonnes or over 13 per cent from over 1.22 lakh tonnes in FY20.

Pangas is also the prime fish in this district with a recorded production of 44,068 tonnes in FY21, followed by 39,586 tonnes of Tilapia, 15,090 tonnes of Rui, 6,664 tonnes of Mrigal, and 6,422 tonnes of Silver Carp, said DoF data.

Jashore

Jashore came in third even though its production increased to more than 1.32 lakh tonnes in FY21 from the previous fiscal’s over 1.31 lakh tonnes.

Rui is the prime fish in this district with a production of 20,095 tonnes, followed by 19,941 tonnes of Mrigal, 19,710 tonnes of Tilapia, 18,250 tonnes of Pangas, and 18,062 tonnes of Silver Carp.

Bogura

Bogura remained in the fourth position again by producing 88,240 tonnes of fish in FY21, which is an increase of 12,854 tonnes or over 17 per cent from 75,386 tonnes in FY20.

In FY21, this district produced 23,616 tonnes of Pangas — the highest. Silver Carp followed with 10,649 tonnes, Rui with 10,079 tonnes, Mrigal with 8,853 tonnes, and Catla with 6,412 tonnes.

Rajshahi

Rajshahi remained among the top five after fish production in FY21 increased to 63,399 tonnes from 62,703 tonnes in FY20.

In this district, Rui is at the top with the highest production of 19,251 tonnes, followed by 10,975 tonnes of Catla, 10,739 tonnes of Silver Carp, 8,562 tonnes of Mrigal, and 4,771 tonnes of Mirror Carp.

Pangas on top with a twist

Among the pond fishes, Pangas secured the first position with the highest production in the country. In FY21, Bangladesh produced over 3.91 lakh tonnes of Pangas, which is 18.72 per cent of the total fish production from ponds.

The catfish is followed by Tilapia with over 3.15 lakh tonnes, Rui with over 2.94 lakh tonnes, Silver Carp with over 2.14 lakh tonnes, and Mrigal with over 1.97 lakh tonnes, according to DoF.

In FY20, Rui was in the second position with a production of more than 2.99 lakh tonnes. Tilapia surpassed Rui in FY21 by recording an increase of 18,773 tonnes or 6.31 per cent from the previous fiscal’s total production of over 2.97 lakh tonnes.

However, Pangas production is going down year by year. DoF has recorded a gradual reduction in this fish’s production rate in the last few years.

According to its data, over 4.47 lakh tonnes were produced in FY19. Production dropped to over 3.95 lakh tonnes in FY20 and was followed by over 3.91 lakh tonnes in FY21.

Rui has also seen a slight decrease in production. More than 3 lakh tonnes of this fish were produced in FY20 and the amount dropped to over 2.95 lakh tonnes in FY21.

The silver lining

Meanwhile, the country has witnessed a gradual increase in the production of Silver Carp, Mrigal, Catla and Mirror Carp in the last two years.

“As the government is focusing on diversification, farming of other fishes like Koi, Shingi, Magur, Mola, Puti, Tengra, Bashpata, Bele and Sowel have increased,” said Dilip Kumar Saha.

“This is a reason behind the drop in Pangas production. But the country has produced more fish in terms of money generation,” he added.

“Once, Pangas used to capture over 70 per cent of Mymensingh’s total fish production. But that’s dropped to 45 per cent nowadays,” Dilip said.