The government fish seed production farm in Shayestaganj, Habiganj, has long been short of staff. Five of its eight posts are vacant, leaving the farm manager, a hatchery attendant and an office assistant to run it. The vacancies include a field assistant, an office assistant-cum-computer operator and a night guard.
Set up in 1962 on about 1,232 decimals of acquired land, the farm has supplied fry and spawn to fish farmers in Habiganj ever since. Besides the hatchery, fry are raised in 12 ponds and sold at fixed prices, with advice for farmers. Farmer training, once run here, has stopped because there is no government allocation.
Hatchery attendant Md Mizanur Rahman said everyone has to take on extra duties because of the shortage, and more staff are urgently needed to keep production and care on track. Farm manager Mohammad Didarul Alam said the vacant posts, including a night guard to protect the ponds and buildings, need to be filled quickly; staff also say a vehicle and driver are needed to transport fry.
Farmers come from Shayestaganj, Chunarughat, Madhabpur, Bahubal and Habiganj Sadar to buy fry. The Dhaka-Sylhet highway runs past the front of the farm, with Habiganj Industrial Park-2 on one side and a CNG filling station on the other; locals fear industrial growth and traffic will affect the farm's environment, though a scientific assessment would be needed to measure any harm.
The report is by Manab Zamin's Shayestaganj (Habiganj) correspondent.
Photo: syed sajidul islam / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); the fish hatchery at Jahangirnagar University, a representative picture
Source: Manab Zamin
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