Bangladesh targets producing 85 lakh tonnes of fish by 2041, said Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim today.

The target is 1.8 times higher than 2021-22 fiscal year's production of 47.59 lakh tonnes, he said.

The minister shared the information at a press conference organised as part of observing National Fisheries Week 2023 at the conference room of the Department of Fisheries in the capital.

The government has taken various steps to ensure that the locally produced fishes are safe for human health, the minister said.

The government has built laboratories of international standards in the country for production and export of safe and healthy fish, he said.

Karim said the government is giving utmost importance to the multi-purpose use of fish along with increasing fish production.

Making chips, cakes and other fish products from fish will also increase the consumer of fish, he said.

Those who want to work on the versatile use of fish are being given agricultural loans on easy terms and low interest, he added.

The minister said the government is working to increase the production of conventional and non-conventional fish in the country.

Scientists and researchers have brought back 39 species of native extinct fish, he said.

The Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute established a "live gene bank" for the conservation of small indigenous fish in 2020 and so far over 100 species have been included, he added.

In 2022-23 fiscal year, Bangladesh earned over Tk 4,790 crore through export of around 70,000 tonnes of fish and fish products, said the minister.

Bangladesh ships various types of fish to 52 countries of the world, according to the fisheries ministry data.