Unified database for fish, livestock entrepreneurs

The government will prepare an integrated national list of entrepreneurs involved in the fisheries and livestock sectors to ensure sustainable growth, State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku said on Tuesday.

The state minister made the remarks during a virtual meeting with divisional directors of the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Livestock Services at the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

He said bringing more educated young people into commercial and science-based farming would increase productivity, create employment opportunities and strengthen the country’s food security.

According to a ministry release, Tuku instructed officials to collect information from farmers and entrepreneurs at district and upazila levels and prepare a national database to identify challenges and address sectoral problems.

He said educated entrepreneurs usually manage farms in a planned way and use fertiliser, feed and other inputs based on actual requirements, helping reduce production costs and increase profitability.

In contrast, he said, unplanned use of inputs raises production costs and causes financial losses for farmers.

The state minister said after preparing the database, the government would arrange a series of divisional-level exchange meetings with farmers and entrepreneurs.

He said their views on existing challenges, opportunities, obstacles and required support would be collected directly to help formulate realistic policies and action plans.

Tuku said the government was committed to developing the fisheries and livestock sectors, adding that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had placed emphasis on increasing entrepreneurs, generating employment and raising production.

He urged officials to complete the information collection process quickly and accurately, stressing the importance of sincerity in preparing the database.

Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Additional Secretary Md Imam Uddin Kabir, Additional Secretary Syeda Nowara Jahan, Department of Fisheries Director General Dr Md Khaled Kanak, and Department of Livestock Services Director Dr Md Boyzar Rahman were present at the meeting.

Divisional directors of the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Livestock Services joined the meeting virtually.