Production of 1 lakh 33 thousand tons of fish more than the requirement
At least 1 lakh 33 thousand metric tons of fish are produced more than the requirement in the country, said the Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Md. Abdur Rahman.
On Monday (April 6) in the afternoon session of the Jatiya Sangsad(JS), the Member of Parliament of Dhaka-14 Constituency Md. Mainul Hossain gave this information in response to a question. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury presided over the session.
The Minister of Fisheries and Livestock said that in the fiscal year 2022-23, against the demand of 47 lakh 82 thousand metric tons, the total fish production in the country was 49 lakh 15 thousand metric tons. As a result, 1 lakh 33 thousand metric tons of fish are produced more than the requirement in the country.
Under the specific direction and dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister, 41 lakh 34 thousand metric tons of fish were produced in Bangladesh in 2016-17 against the target of 40 lakh 50 thousand metric tons. After 46 years of independence, Bangladesh has been able to achieve self-sufficiency in fish production, the Minister said.
Besides, the Minister said with the information of BBS, currently the people of the country are consuming 67.80 grams of fish per day on an average (25.00 kg against the annual demand of 23.72 kg per person).
The hatchery release program is being implemented under the revenue and development scheme to increase fish production in open water bodies. In the financial year 2022-2023, 215.43 metric tons under revenue sector and 100.25 metric tons under development projects have been released.
In the fiscal year 2022-23, 917 bill nurseries have been set up across the country under the revenue sector and 174 bill nurseries under the development scheme. 500 sanctuaries established in various rivers and inland open water bodies of the country are being managed by the beneficiaries in order to prevent the extinction of native fish species and protect their abundance.
During the fiscal year 2022-23, 389 fish sanctuaries have been repaired and managed under the revenue sector and 72 fish sanctuaries have been repaired and managed under development projects. In the past 15 years, 5 thousand 758 hectares of degraded water bodies have been rehabilitated and developed through various development projects under the Department of Fisheries. By increasing fish production in excavated reservoirs, income and employment opportunities have been created for the concerned beneficiaries.