Govt declares self-sufficiency in fish, meat

Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in fish and meat production, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda said yesterday.

“As per the report of the Department of Fisheries, 41.34 lakh tonnes of fish was produced in 2016-17, exceeding the year's target of 40.50 lakh tonnes with 84,000 tonnes additional production,” the minister said at a press conference at his ministry.

According to “the national food intake guidelines”, the daily per capita demand of fish is 60 grams, but as per the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data, per capita fish consumption is 62.58 grams each day, Narayon said, adding,” This proves that the country is self-reliant in fish.” 

As per the research titled “Livestock Resource in Bangladesh-1995” of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, the daily per capita demand of meat is 120 grams, he added.

To meet the demand of protein, the Department of Livestock Services set a target of meat production at 71.35 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 fiscal year, Narayon said, adding that 71.54 lakh tonnes of meat was produced in the year with a surplus of 0.19 lakh tonnes. 

Fish production has increased as the government has taken different measures to do it, the minister said. “The success in country's fish production has got the global recognition.”

As per the report of UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation-2016, Bangladesh is the fourth in consuming fish produced internally and the fifth in fish cultivation in the world, he added.

Terming the management of hilsa resource a priority task of the present government, the minister said coordinated activities, including updating the laws, were being carried out. The hilsa got recognition of geographical indication product of Bangladesh in 2016, he added.

Narayon also said a survey titled “RV Meen Shandhani” was being conducted in the sea.

So far, 157 species of fish, 16 species of shrimp, 11 species of crustacean and six species of mollusk have already been identified by the survey, the fisheries minister said, hoping that a complete study on marine resources, including the floating and under water ones, could be done by the ongoing survey.

About the country's poultry industry, he said chickens were meeting the per capita demand of meat across the country.

Raisul Alam Mondal, acting secretary of fisheries and livestock ministry, Syed Arif Azad, director general of fisheries department, and AKM Aminul Haque, director of fisheries department, among others, were present at the press conference.