Noting that fishermen are catching hilsa and other fish with many kinds of nets that hinder hilsa breeding and conservation, Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku has ordered that production of such harmful nets be stopped.

He gave the instruction as chief guest at a workshop titled "Evaluation of the Jatka and Mother Hilsa Conservation Campaign 2025-26 and Future Actions" at the conference room of Matshya Bhaban in Dhaka on Tuesday, 16 June.

The state minister said hilsa is a geographical indication product and Bangladesh's pride and an important resource, tied to an economy of about Tk 75,000 crore. Its contribution to the national economy is very important, he said, and raising output further would have a major positive effect.

More than 4 million people in the country are directly or indirectly involved in producing, catching and marketing hilsa, making the sector one of the most important sources of jobs, he said. The utmost care and effective action in the sector are therefore essential.

He said about 40,000 fishermen received VGF support last year, and the amount and coverage of this support will be increased in future to encourage fishermen to stay away from fishing during bans.

Various initiatives have been taken in the past to raise farm and fish output, he said. The martyred President Ziaur Rahman began a canal-digging programme, and the late Prime Minister Khaleda Zia took important steps to conserve hilsa in 2003. Building on these, various programmes are being implemented today to raise agricultural and fish production.

Through the farmer card and family card programmes, people of all classes will gradually be brought under coverage, and fishers will also benefit from the farmer card, the state minister added.

The workshop was chaired by Department of Fisheries Director General Dr Khaled Konok. Special guests included ministry additional secretaries Nilufa Akter and Syeda Nawara Jahan, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) Director General Dr Anuradha Bhadra, members of the national task force on hilsa development, senior officials of the ministry and department, and other stakeholders.

The keynote paper was presented by the department's deputy director, Abul Kalam Azad.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.