Dhaka to host int’l aquaculture, seafood show in October

For the first time, Dhaka will host an international show of aquaculture and seafood in next October.

The three-day show titled “Bangladesh International Aquaculture Seafood Show 2023’ will be held at at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka on October 19-21.

Local and foreign companies related to aquaculture and seafood industry, seafood processors, exporters, researchers and educationists, representatives from government agencies, financial institutions, investors, manufacturers, policy makers, international buyers and businessmen are expected to take part, said Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim while addressing a press conference at a city hotel on Saturday.

BIDA Executive Chairman Lokman Hossain Mia and Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh were present, among others, at the press conference.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association and Solidaridad Bangladesh will jointly organise this show.

Speaking on the occasion, SM Rezaul Karim said that this show will be held in a bid to ensure speedy flourish of the country’s aquaculture seafood industry in both local and international arena.

He said this show would feature aquaculture technology, modern machineries and equipments, processing machineries, packaging and other products. “The show is expected to usher new hope and initiatives in the concerned business and trade,” he added.

Referring to a research conducted by US-based research firm Vantage Market, the minister informed that the size of the global aquaculture market in 2022 was $289.6 billion which is expected to reach $421.2 billion by 2030.

Quoting another research of research firm Statista, the minister said that size of the Bangladesh’s fisheries and seafood market was $17.38 billion in the outgoing fiscal year adding that the size of the global fisheries and seafood market would stand at $1,167 million in 2028.

Rezaul said that due to the various initiatives of the government, the export earnings of Bangladesh from the fisheries sector grew by 26.96 per cent in the outgoing fiscal year.

Listing various steps of the government towards ensuring compliance in the fisheries sector, he said the government has transformed the conventional system of shrimp hatchery into SPF hatchery, introduction of cluster-based shrimp cultivation, boosting productivity of shrimp farms, improvement of supply chain, creating digital database of existing countrywide shrimp farms, introduction of integrated e-treasibility system.

The minister hoped that the Bangladesh International Aquaculture Seafood Show 2023 would play an indispensible role towards building “Smart Bangladesh” as declared by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.