Fish production increasing by 16 pc annually in Rangpur

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RANGPUR, July 24, 2017 (BSS) – Production of fish has been increasing by 16 percent on an average annually during the past five consecutive years in the district following successful implementation of various government programmes.

District Fisheries Officer Dr Zillur Rahman disclosed the information while presiding over evaluation and concluding ceremony of the National Fisheries Week-2017 organised by District Fisheries Department at its conference room here today afternoon.

“Some 32,005 tonnes of fish were produced from 16,905 hectares of ponds, ‘beels’, ‘haors’, ‘baropits’ and flood plains against annual demand of 63,095 tonnes last year in the district where 17,685 tonnes of fish were produced in 2012,” he said.

“During the past five years, fish production increased by 14,320 tonnes from 32,005 tonnes in 2016 against 17,685 tonnes in 2012 with an average annual increasing rate of 16 percent in the district,” Dr Zillur added.

Divisional Deputy Director of the Fisheries Department Rakib Uddin Biswas attended the concluding ceremony as the chief guest.

District Livestock Officer Md Mahbubur Rahman, Senior Assistant Director of Fisheries Department Abul Kalam Azad, Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Sarker Anwarul Kabir, addressed the function as special guests.

In the beginning, all eight Senior Upazila Fisheries Officers delivered presentations on observance of the National Fisheries Week- 2017 and successes achieved in fish production in their respective upazila.

Sarker Anwarul Kabir discussed about tremendous success achieved in increasing fish production following successful implementation of various government programmes to double fish production in Rangpur district in past five years. “After turning Bangladesh into a food surplus nation, the present government has put importance on meeting nutritional demand of the population by increasing production of fish, meat, milk and eggs and huge success has been achieved so far,” he said.

The chief guest said Bangladesh produced 38.78 lakh tonnes of fish in 2016 against annual national level demand of about 42 lakh tonnes as its production increases by one lakh tonne annually on way to make the nation self-reliant on fish.

To meet nutritional demand of the growing population, he stressed on ensuring proper management of water bodies and transferring latest technology among farmers to protect native, small and indigenous fishes for further increasing fish production.