The government will take initiative to increase fish productivity at every stage using modern and automated fish farming technology alongside farm mechanization to achieve the target of 85 lakh tonnes of fish production by 2041, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Md Abdur Rahman said on Tuesday.
Like every year, National Fisheries Week-2024 will be inaugurated on Wednesday which will continue till August 5, he said while speaking at the “Meet the press” on the occasion of National Fisheries Week-2024.
The theme of this year fisheries week is “Bhorbo mache moder desh, gorbo smart Bangladesh.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the fisheries week around 10:30am at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
Twenty-two people and organisations will be honoured with the National Fisheries Award. Of them six will be awarded with gold medals, eight each with silver and bronze medals.
The prime minister will also release some fish fry at Ganabhaban Lake on Wednesday noon, said the minister.
The minister said the production of native species of fish will be increased through releasing fish fries in rivers, canals and water bodies, modernising fish hatcheries and establishing fish sanctuary.
Mentioning that Bangladesh secured the second position in producing sweet water fish, the minister said they want to grab the first position in this sector by using technology.
Noting that the government has taken steps for the development of the lifestyle of the fishermen, the minister said identity cards have been given to 15.80 lakh out of 18.10 lakh fishermen.
Currently, Bangladesh exports fisheries and fisheries products to more than 50 countries of the world and despite the economic slowdown in the global market, Bangladesh earned Tk 4496.38 crore through the export of 77408 tonnes of fish and fishery products in the fiscal year 2023-24, he said.
Besides, the government has set a target to export fish worth $5 billion by 2030, he added.
Replying to a question about the decline in export earnings in the shrimp sector, the minister said due to the increase in demand for shrimp in the domestic market, the export of shrimp abroad has decreased slightly.
However, efforts are being made to create a special economic zone in Cox’s Bazar to increase shrimp production, he said.
