RANGPUR, Oct 22: More than 18,000 unemployed youths are getting financially benefited through fish farming in unused water bodies under different districts in Rangpur division.
Department of Fisheries is implementing a project of farming fish in around 1,500 hectares of unused water bodies of the region under Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
Under the project these youths have been farming different varieties of fish including rui, katla and mrigel, sources said.
A good number of growers are showing their interest in cultivation of fish as it has already gained success in many areas of the division including Badarganj, Mithapukur upazila under Rangpur district, Phulbari upazila in Kurigram district, Fulchhari, Saghata, Sadullapur in Gaibandha and Aditmari upazila in Lalmonirhat district.
Side by side the youths are cultivating different varieties of vegetables on the bank of the water bodies which gives them additional profit, it is learnt.
Nurul Islam, a beneficiary of the project at Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur said, earlier, due to lack of employment, he as well as many youths of his area were disappointed. Later, some of them got the opportunity to cultivate fish under the project being implemented by fisheries department. Thus they found the way to contribute economically to their family. Life seems to be much meaningful now, Nurul added.
Saiful, another beneficiary of the project said rui, katla and mrigel are being cultivated in abandoned water bodies which already proved lucrative, he also said. In addition, he and other growers are being able to earn satisfactory profit from selling the vegetables produced on the bank of those unused water bodies, he further said.
Farmers are delighted with the output of aquaculture, which requires less effort to get results, he added.
According to divisional fisheries development project, Rangpur official sources in order to utilise a vast tract of abandoned water bodies, to meet the demand for protein to a great extent and make employment opportunities for thousands of unemployed youths, the department has been implementing the project under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
The department is providing adequate support including necessary advices as well as technical assistances to the cultivators in order to boost up production of fishes in the region, sources added.
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