DHAKA, April 4, 2020 (BSS) – The government has opened a control room to
address the crises emerging in the country’s fisheries and livestock sectors
due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The control room was set up at the Department of Livestock Services in
the city’s Farmgate and a hotline number – 02-9122557 – was introduced today,
public relations officer of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Iftekhar
Hossain told BSS.
To this end, a view-exchange meeting was held between the officials of
the ministry and stakeholders concerned of fisheries sector at Matshya Bhaban
here.
Chaired by Fisheries and Livestock secretary Rawnak Mahmud, the meeting
was attended, among others, by additional secretary of the ministry Shaymal
Chandra Karmakar and director general of the Fisheries Department Kazi Shams
Afroze.
Representatives of Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association, Feed
Industries Association, Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association,
Bangladesh Live and Chilled Food Exporters Association (BLCFEA), Shrimp
Hatchery Association of Bangladesh and the Fish Hatchery and Farm Owners
Association were present at the meeting.
Involving the officials of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, the
Department of Livestock Services and the Fisheries Department, the control
room will remain open from 9 am to 5 pm every day.
Officials said immediate measures will be taken to ensure production,
supply and marketing of poultry products, milk and milk products, meat and
fisheries resources through the hotline of the control room.
Participants at the meeting today urged the stockholders concerned to
work from their respective position to ensure production, supply, marketing
and export of fisheries resources during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The people involved in fisheries and livestock sectors were asked to
communicate with the ministry through the hotline if they face any trouble in
production, supply, marketing and export of the products, a ministry press
release said.
In a recent statement, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim
said as per the suggestion of the World Health Organization (WHO), people
have to take nutritious food to boost the immune system of human body to
prevent coronavirus.
So, he said, the ministry has taken various measures to ensure normal
supply of the sources of protein – milk, eggs, fishes and meat – to tackle
the ongoing crisis.
Rezaul said his ministry has already sent letters to the deputy
commissioners (DCs), the home ministry and the cabinet division asking to
take steps to ensure production, supply and marketing of poultry products,
milk and milk products, meat and fish and fisheries products.