Business Desk :
Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim on Friday said that it was s necessary to create diverse fields of fisheries to make Bangladesh prosperous.
“We want to develop diverse fish products. We have to work for the creation of multi-purpose use of fisheries resources. In many countries across the globe, various bakery products are being made from fish and aquatic resources. Chips, fish balls or other foods can be made from fish,” he said.
The minister was speaking at the closing ceremony of National Fisheries Week-2021 at the conference room of the Fisheries Department at Matsya Bhaban in the capital as the chief guest.
The minister also called upon the private sector to come forward to set up industries for making fish-food ingredients imported from outside the country.
He also assured that the government would provide all necessary assistance, including tax exemption to this end.
Noting that the country’s fisheries resources are not less than any other country in the world, he emphasized on creative activities for maximum utilization of all areas suitable for fish farming, including sea areas, confined reservoirs and open water bodies.
He further said that Fisheries Week is celebrated every year to motivate and engage the people involved in the fisheries sector and make the people interested in this sector.
This week identifies the problems in the concerned sector and makes it dynamic, he said, adding that besides, encouraging innovation in this sector is also one of the goals of Fisheries Week.
The fisheries sector can be an important sector in eliminating unemployment during the ongoing pandemic situation, he added.
With Fisheries Department Director General Kazi Shams Afroz in the chair, the programme was addressed, among others, by Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Raunak Mahmud as special guest.
Director General (DG) of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) Dr Yahya Mahmud, Fisheries Department Deputy Director (Barishal Division) Md Anisur Rahman Talukder, Jashore District Fisheries Officer Md Anisur Rahman, Feed Industries Association Bangladesh (FIAB) Member Secretary Ahsanuzzaman, Bangladesh Awami Matshajibi League President Saidur Rahman and President of Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association Md Amin Ullah also spoke on the occasion.