GAIBANDHA, Oct 26, 2020 (BSS) – Speakers at a function here put emphasize on creating mass awareness to increase hilsha fish production.
They came up with the comment while addressing a mass awareness meeting to protect the mother hilsha to increase its production at the auditorium of Malibari union Parishad complex under sadar upazila in the district on Sunday.
Sadar upazila fisheries office arranged the function as a part of holding various programme to protect mother hilsha fish through creating awareness among the people particularly the fishermen.
Joint secretary of Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock SM Ferdous Alam addressed the function as the chief guest with union parishad chairman Ali Azam Shah Runu in the chair.
Project director of fisheries development project in Rangpur division Ataur Rahman Khan and district fisheries officer (DFO) Abdud Dayan Dulu were present as the special guests.
SM Ferdous Alam said the government is determined to increasing national fish hilsha production through implementing Hilsha protection campaign-2020 anyhow.
The production of Hilsha in the country in 2018-19 was five lakh 15 thousand tones that increased to five lakh 33 thousand tonnes in 2019-20, he said.
He also sought whole hearted cooperation of all to make the government ban on hilsha catching, selling, hoarding, and transporting to increase its production a grand success.
Earlier, senior sadar upazila fisheries officer Sanjoy Banerjee made a welcome speech and thanked all for participating in the meeting.
Later, the guests distributed rice under VGF programme to 80 fishermen who are not catching fishes in the river during the banning period.
Each of the fishermen got 20-kg of rice.
A large number of fishermen, local elite and public representatives were present on the occasion.