Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid today spoke at a press conference at the conference room of the ministry. Photo : BSS

DHAKA, Apr 6, 2026 (BSS) – Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid today said the government is implementing various programmes to protect hilsa resources and ensure its sustainable production. 

“In continuation of this, 'Jatka Conservation Week 2026' will be observed nationwide from April 7 to 13,” he told a press conference at the conference room of the ministry here this morning. 

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku, Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Md Delwar Hossain, Director General of the Department of Fisheries Zia Haider Chowdhury and senior officials of the ministry were present.

Amin Ur Rashid said the incumbent government is committed to increasing the sustainable production of hilsa and bringing the price of hilsa within affordable level of commoners through the coordinated efforts of the ministry and the Department of Fisheries, and the government is taking effective steps to this end.

Conservation of Jatka and brood hilsa, banning of fishing during specific times, establishment and management of sanctuaries, and successful implementation of the Fisheries Conservation Act are among those, he said. 

As a result of the successful implementation of these activities, the minister said hilsa production has continued to boost and has increased to 5 lakh metric tonnes in the fiscal 2024-25.

He said maintaining this continuity of hilsa production has become a big challenge due to riverbed filling, climate change, river pollution and continuous pressure on fisheries. 

Amin Ur Rashid said his ministry will move forward to addressing this challenge.

He said hilsa is the country’s national fish and its importance in the national economy is immense. 

“Hilsa is inextricably linked with the country's agriculture, culture and heritage. Hilsa fish is of immense importance in meeting the nutritional needs of the people, creating employment, supporting the livelihood of fishermen, keeping the rural economy alive and in the socioeconomic development of the country,” he said. 

The minister said hilsa contributes about 9.79 percent to the country's total fish production, while it contributes about one percent to the country's GDP. 

“More than 80 percent of the world's total hilsa production comes from the country's rivers, estuaries and seas. Bangladesh ranks first among the 11 countries that produce hilsa. Bangladesh's hilsa is recognised as a Geographical Indication (GI) product,” he said.

Amin Ur Rashid said about six lakh people in Bangladesh are directly engaged in hilsa production, while 20 to 25 lakh indirectly involved in hilsa transportation, sale, net and boat making, ice production, fish processing and export.

So, he said, the government is working to make hilsa available to people across the country through the development of hilsa resources.
The minister said the 'Jatka Conservation Week 2026' will be celebrated in 20 hilsa-rich districts of the country. 
In addition to the three-day central programme, various awareness programmes have been taken at the district and upazila levels to this end, he said. 

The inaugural programme of the week will be held in Chandpur Sadar on April 7. This time, the theme has been set as 'If we stop Jatka fishing, the sea and rivers will be filled with hilsa.' 

Highlighting the government's activities to protect hilsa, the minister said the government has already taken several important steps for the sustainable development of hilsa resources. 

Those include declaring a ban on all types of fishing in the Bay of Bengal from April 15 to June 11 (58 days), stopping hilsa fishing for 22 days during the breeding season, he said. 

Amin Ur Rashid said Jatka fishing, transportation and sale are completely prohibited from November 1 to June 30. 

Responding to a question, the minister said the government's main goal is to increase the production of hilsa. 

“If the production increases, supply will increase, and if supply increases, the price of hilsa will naturally go down in the market,” he said. 

He also said the government is working to make the entire process from production of hilsa to consumers more advanced and effective than before.

State Minister Sultan Salauddin Tuku said food assistance has been provided to 40,000 fishermen families in the last two months. 

This assistance includes 80 kg of rice, 12 kg of flour, 10 kg of oil, 4 kg of sugar, 8 kg of pulses and 16 kg of potatoes, with a total value of about Taka 6,000, he said. 
Tuku said fishermen have not received this amount of food assistance in the past. 
Even then, he said, local parliamentarians will continue to support the fishers. 
He also said the government will not tolerate any irregularities and appropriate action will be taken if irregularities are found.