The government has moved to tap maritime resources for the economic development of the country's coastal areas, officials said.
The ministry of fisheries and livestock (MoFL) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) are now jointly working to prepare an action plan to this end.
According to the plan, some 19 coastal districts of the country will come under the initiative.
"The government has taken the initiative for sustainable development of coastal areas to improve the livelihoods of the people living there," chief engineer of Bangladesh Water development Board (BWDB) Md Habibur Rahman told the FE.
He said the country got a settled coastal zone following the verdicts of international tribunals on maritime boundary delimitation.
Around 28 per cent of the country's total population live in 19 coastal districts.
The coastal districts make up 32 per cent of the total land area of the country.
The country has a 710-km coastal line stretching from Sundarbans Mangrove forest to Teknaf.
He said a seminar on 'Sustainable economic development of coastal areas and exploration of maritime resources' will be held in the capital today (Tuesday).
At the seminar, experts will come up with strategic planning and ways to achieve economic development of coastal districts through exploring maritime resources in the Bay of Bengal, he added.
He also said hilsa production in the coastal areas has increased significantly due to government strategy.
Around 0.5 million tonnes of hilsa were produced in fiscal year (FY) 2016-17, which was 0.4 million tonnes in FY 2015-16.
The production of hilsa and other varieties of fishes could increase significantly if proper initiatives are taken to address the existing challenges to the economic development of coastal districts, said the BWDB official.
Apart from fishing, agriculture output and coastal tourism will get a boost, which will contribute to the national economy notably, he added.
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