Tk 300m to be allocated for dev of shrimp farming areas

The government has taken a programme to develop infrastructure of shrimp farming areas of four districts in the country to boost up its production.

Director General of Department of Fisheries (DoF) Syed Arif Azad said this Monday at a function in the city.

He said: “Around Tk 300 million will be allocated for the development of shrimp farms at Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Cox’s Bazar districts. The disbursement will start soon.”

He was the chief guest at a policy workshop under Standards and Trade Development Facilities (STDF) project entitled ‘Building trade capacity of small-scale shrimp and prawn farmers in Bangladesh: investing the bottom of the pyramid’ at the conference room of DoF.

FAO Representative in Bangladesh Mike Robson was present as the special guest at the function.

Mr Azad said to achieve the production target an adequate depth of the pond is a must.

The money will mainly be used for re-excavation of silted up canals to increase availability of saline water in the shrimp ponds, locally known as ‘ghers’, in the districts.

He informed that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would meet the national committee on shrimp and fish affairs on April 1, 2015 to discuss the development of shrimp sector.

The last meeting was held in 2000.

STDF project was undertaken by DoF, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF).

Some 40 clusters, involving 1,000 farmers, were selected under the project and a baseline survey was carried out.

Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association President SM Amzad Hossain and Bangladesh Aquaculture Alliance President Md Maqsudur Rahman were present, among others, at the programme.

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