Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim on Saturday said the government seeks to promote fish farming in cages, known as  cage culture, in the country.

“We’re promoting fish farming in cages across the country,” he said at a meeting in Kaptai Lake Fisheries Development and Marketing Centre here.

The Fisheries and Livestock Minister said a project has already been passed in the meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) over fish farming under cage management.

He said fish production saw a revolutionary change in Bangladesh, which has brightened the image of the country in the world.

“Bangladesh has been marching forward under the able leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina breaking all previous records in the production of freshwater fish and hilsa,” he said.

Rezaul Karim said fish will be cultivated everywhere including small canals, Haors, beels and other water bodies throughout the country.

He said the fish production will see a radical change also in the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) area.

The meeting was arranged to inform the activities of Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) in Kaptai Lake.

The Minister said the fish production in Kaptai Lake has increased to 12,600mt, which will surpass 15,000mt in the near future (mt = metric tonnes).

He said the government will increase fish production in Kaptai Lake in planned ways taking measures to prevent pollution and  catching mother fishes and fries in the Lake.

Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Rawnak Mahmud, additional secretary Md Towfiqul Arif, Director General of Fisheries Department Quazi Shams Afroz, Director General of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Dr Yahia Mahmud, among others, were present at the meeting presided over by BFDC chairman Hasan Ahmed.

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