The government will give 40 kg of VGF rice to each of 280,963 fisher families in 20 districts under a humanitarian assistance programme during the ban on catching hilsa. The fishers will receive the rice from this February to March.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock issued an office order approving the allocation on Sunday (16 February).

Catching, transporting and selling jatka (hilsa smaller than 10 inches) is banned for eight months every year, from 1 November to 30 June. This season too the ban has been in force since November and will last until 30 June.

Sources said 22,477 tonnes of rice will be needed to support fishers in 96 upazilas of 20 districts during the ban.

The office order says the VGF rice will be distributed under the humanitarian assistance programme during the jatka ban in the 2019-20 fiscal year.

While they refrain from catching jatka, rice is being given to fishers in these numbers:

• Dhaka 850, Manikganj 2,336, Rajbari 1,670, Shariatpur 12,009, Madaripur 2,250, Faridpur 700 and Munshiganj 2,335;
• Bhola 70,943, Patuakhali 38,486 and Barishal 31,715;
• Pirojpur 9,750, Barguna 19,900 and Jhalakathi 1,550;
• Chandpur 38,005, Lakshmipur 24,344, Feni 120, Noakhali 5,500 and Chattogram 8,500;
• Bagerhat 7,500 and Sirajganj 2,500.

The order also says deputy commissioners will distribute the VGF rice to registered fishers who refrain from catching jatka, following the guidelines for implementing the humanitarian assistance programme, and keep the accounts needed for audit. Distribution will be completed by 31 March.

The deputy commissioner will inform the member of parliament for the area about the rice allocation, the order says.

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