Fish production in Jhenaidah had crossed the previous records in last decade when the farmers have increased the figure at 45,257 tones a year as against the target for 38,792 tones. Application of modern technology, interests of the farmers having better prices and intensive care of the department of fisheries were mainly liable for the increasing trend in fish cultivation in the district. Said the farmers involved in fish farming.
Fish farmer Manirul Islam of Paglakanai village in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila said he produced 596 tons of monosex telapia species of fish on his eight ponds on 12 hectares water bodies. He spent Taka 4.54 crore for fish prawn, feed, medicine and day labourer, while sold the same for an amount of Taka 5.11 crore. He gained the net profit for Taka 4.5 crore, the success fish farmers said.
A source related to the office of the district fisheries officer in Jhenaidah said the farmers have produced 2,744 tons of fish on 6,055 hectares of water body in rivers, 2,997 tones on 3,307 hectares of beels, 4,208 tons on 1,956 hectares of baors, 1,364 tones on 1,312 hectares of floodplan (lowland) water and 35,015 tones of fish on 8,098 hectares area of pond in last 2019-20 fiscal. Here the ponds playing significant role producing 35,015 tones during the time. The production might add another 10 tons in the current season.
The sources said the production of fish in the district was around 29,000 tones a year about 10 years back. As the production in rivers and baors was not easy to them, they had started motivating the fish farmers to boost production on their ponds and other local water bodies.
Having better prices in the ponds, the farmers were leaning towards pond fishing, where the production of was highest 1,526 tons of monosex talapia and nilotica and 1.024 tones of bata fish were produced. Species wise production of major items was 6084.3 tones of ruhit, 1,693.8 tones of Katla, 6,538 tones of mrigel, 348.63 tones of kalibaus, 1,024.31 tones of bata, 9,951 tones of silvercarp, 967.1 tones of grasscarp, 7,167. 9 tones of mirror or common carp, 1,113.2 tones of other exotic carps, 865.4 tones of pangas, 140.7 tones of boal or ayeer, 1,469.7 tones of shoil. gozar or taki, 175.56 tones of koi, 605.5 tones of shing or magur, 65.4 tones of shrimp or prawn, 635.3 tones of other smaller size shrimp, 1,526.2 tones of telapia or nilitica, 564.6 tones of sharputi and thaiputi and 4,320.4 tones of other inland fish species.
Fish vendor Prahlad Biswas Kalu of Jhaudia village when contacted said they have been catching some traditional and decaying species like tengra, puti, sharputi, pabda and some other tasty and lucrative species from the ponds as the fish farmers have increased the farming with eagerness. The species have been officer better prices for them Kalu said.
Alfaz Uddin Sheikh, district fisheries officer (DFO) in Jhenaidah when contacted, said as per the government instruction and guideline, they have been motivating the fish farmers including fish farming society members to boost the production. Aim of the programme was to meet nutrition aspect of the consumers as well as strengthen the socio-economic base for the fishermen. They have selected fish Manirul Islam for the upcoming national award for his contribution in fish farming in Jhenaidah.
In last 10 years the farmers had increased the production that stands at 45,257 tones a year as against yearly fish demand for 38.792 tones. THe farmers produced additional 6,465 tones of fish in the previous year. But the same was 29,000 tones about 10 years back. It was possible when the skill and efficient fish farmers in the district had been showing eagerness in farming the cash product.
Alfaz Uddin Sheikh said the farmers have been sending the additional production to Chuadanga, Meherpur, Kushtia and some neighboring districts and earning better. They are going to increase the production for additional nutrition purposes and export in surrounding districts.
It will help make the country self sufficient in nutritious fish production and change lot of the fish farmers positively when the government of Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina has been leading the country for graduation from the least development country (LDC), DFO said.
