RAJSHAHI, Feb 15, 2021 (BSS) – Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) has
disbursed loans of around Taka 10.11 crore for fish farming in northern
districts during the first six months of the current 2020-2021 financial
year, officials said.
The state-owned specialized bank distributed the loan among 6,959
commercial fish farmers in all 16 districts under Rajshahi and Rangpur
divisions aimed at boosting fish production.
“We have disbursed the loan mostly from the Prime Minister’s stimulus
package fund through different branches in the country’s northwest region to
increase fish production in the backdrop of the Covid-19 fallout,” said
Muhammad Idrish, Managing Director-in-Charge of RAKUB.
The bank has set a target to disburse Taka 50 crore loan for fish farming
in the current fiscal.
He said another Taka 2.78 crore were also handed over among 666 fish
farmers under the bank’s fisheries village scheme to increase the number of
commercial fish farmers in the region as it has enormous prospects of
boosting fish production.
After taking advantage of the loan facilities, many of the farmers have
availed the opportunities of recouping their losses caused by the adverse
impact of Covid-19 pandemic besides the devastating flood that occurred last
year.
“I have received a loan of Taka 35 lakh around four to five months back and
revived my business at present,” said Sultan Mahmud, a fish farmer in
Raninagar area of Rajshahi city.
He started his business in 25 bigha of water bodies with initial
investment of Taka eight lakh around 12 years back and gained success with
formation of a running capital of around Taka one crore.
But his business was affected badly by the pandemic, he said.
Sultan said a special credit program for boosting fish production of RAKUB
has contributed a lot towards popularizing the commercial fish farming
process everywhere in the country’s northwest region.
The bank has operated the programme styled “RAKUB fisheries village” for
extensive fish cultivation to create employment opportunities along with
fulfilling protein deficiency in the region.
The main objective of the programme was to encourage small farmers in fish
farming so that they could produce more fish in the small ponds and other
water-bodies using modern and scientific technologies instead of traditional
ones.
The programme gives emphasis on forming fisheries villages with at least
10-12 small ponds and other water bodies at potential places.
Muhammad Idrish said there is a bright prospect for increasing fish
production in all the northern districts with optimum use of the existing
natural resources.
Taking advantage of the situation, he said the bank has selected the
fisheries sector on priority basis supplementing the government’s efforts to
bolster both rural and urban economy.
At the preliminary stage, the RAKUB Chief said most of the upazilas and
union-level branches in 16 districts have been disbursing the special loan
successfully.
Requisite funds have been disbursed among the interested fish farmers
during the period.
The bank has established an easy process for extending necessary credits
to small and medium fish cultivators so that they can contribute to the
economic growth of the country side by side with taking the region from the
curse of poverty.
In addition to raising skilled fish farmers, the scheme helps increase
fish cultivation through providing them with special facilities, the RAKUB
chief added.
Headquartered in Rajshahi, the bank has achieved a significant success in
making the region surplus with food through quality consumer services.
In the first phase, cultivation of various species of fish, especially
pungus, carp, monosex tilapia and thai koi, has been selected for investment.
The programme has a provision of sanctioning loans up to Taka five lakh in
different potential and prospective fields.
The farmers having experience of fish farming and at least a four-week
training programme on improved fish cultivation would be given preference to
get the loan.
Muhammad Idrish said the programme is ensuring easy credit facilities to
the small fish farmers as a vital force for poverty alleviation and national
economic growth.