Fish to be 2nd source of forex earnings: Rezaul

Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim said on Saturday fish will be the second major source of foreign exchange earnings in the country as per the expectation of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is developing the country’s fisheries sector and in continuation of that, we will reach a unique place in the world in terms of fisheries resources. Fish will be the second major source of foreign exchange earnings as per Bangabandhu’s expectation. We are working towards that goal,” he said.  

The minister said this at a press briefing on the occasion of National Fisheries Week-2021 at the conference room of the Fisheries Department at Matsya Bhaban in the capital.  

Rezaul said that the fisheries sector is creating a golden chapter in Bangladesh.

This year’s Fisheries Week is going to be celebrated with the highest priority to the fisheries sector, he added.

The fisheries sector is playing an unimaginable role in the country’s national economy, he said, adding that due to appropriate measures in the fisheries sector, the native species of fish, marine fish and unconventional fish resources are expanding.

There are enough fish supply in the market, he said, adding that as a result, the nutritional needs of the people are being met properly and the immunity system of a person is also increasing.

The average life expectancy rate is increasing while maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate have come down, the minister added.

The minister further added in the fiscal year 2019-20, the total production of fish in the country has been 85 lakh 3 thousand metric tons.

Bangladesh’s success in fish production is also recognized in the international arena and Bangladesh ranks 3rd in the world in fish catching in inland open water, 5th in fish production in closed reservoirs, 1st in hilsa production and 4th in tilapia production, he said.