It must be ensured that the price of hilsa does not rise for any abnormal reason, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter has said. Keeping hilsa prices within the purchasing power of ordinary people is very important, she said.

She was speaking to those involved in catching, stocking and selling hilsa on Monday (30 June) afternoon at a meeting in the conference room of the Department of Fisheries on "Deciding next steps to remove obstacles in the supply and value chain of hilsa and all other fish".

Chairing the meeting, the adviser said the price of hilsa and other fish cannot be controlled by announcing prices; rather, if the real causes behind price rises can be identified, effective intervention is possible.

She said the government is running regular drives on hilsa catching and conservation and has taken strict steps to protect hilsa and jatka, which is one of the most important parts of overall hilsa management.

The adviser said drives against illegal fishing are seizing and destroying banned nets, and in many cases punitive action is being taken against fishers who break the law. Various government forces are also regularly raiding factories that make illegal nets.

On the loss of river navigability, she said it is changing the natural habitat and migration routes of hilsa, which is worrying. To secure hilsa breeding and movement, the navigability crisis needs to be treated seriously as a major issue.

Those present included Md Akhtaruzzaman Talukder, member (secretary) of the Bangladesh Competition Commission; Md Tofazzel Hossain, secretary (routine charge) of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock; additional secretaries Syeda Nawara Jahan and Nilufa Akhter; joint secretary Shahina Ferdousi; Md Abdul Warish, additional DIG of the river police; Dr Md Abdur Rauf, director general of the Department of Fisheries; Dr Anuradha Bhadra, director general of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute; Commander M Ali Akbar Siraji of the Bangladesh Navy; and Captain Saiful, director of the Bangladesh Coast Guard. Representatives of various ministries, wholesalers (aratdars) and fishers' associations, and senior Department of Fisheries officials also attended.

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