He has set an inspiring example of fish farming in a small plot of land at a low cost.
President of Abhaynagar upazila unit of Awami League and former municipality mayor, Enamul Haque began farming fish at Aamdanga village of Sundoli union in 2002.
Although he could not make profit initially by farming fish every year, he was successful in the modern method of Butter Fish farming in 2019.
Locals said his record production of 52.48 metric tons of Butter and Carp type fish drew attention of the Fisheries Department.
Enamul has become an inspiration to many by producing 11.25 metric tons of Butter Fish and 5.10 metric tons of Carp type fish per hectare.
Locals meet him every day to learn and take advice from him. The farmers who were inspired by him also became successful following his method of farming.
Enamul was awarded by the Department of Livestock and Fisheries for his success in farming various types of fish and became the best fish farmer at the upazila and district levels.
Sources at the Fisheries department said Enamul began cultivating ‘Pabda’ and Carp types of fish on 3.21 hectares of land last year. Now he has around 50 permanent workers and 600 temporary ones in his farm.
Talking to UNB, fish farmers Kamrul Hasan, Shafi Kamal, Babul Akhtar, Golam Mustafa and Hiramon Roy said once fish farming was not profitable for them. “Now we’ve become really successful in fish farming by following Enamul Bhai’s advice,” Hasan said.
“The unemployment problem in the country can be resolved through fish farming by using modern information technology. It’ll benefit the country economically as foreign exchange can be earned by exporting fish after meeting the local demand,” Enamul said.
Talking to UNB, Md Faruk Hossain, an official at the Fisheries department of the upazila, said crop cultivation is quite low in the area due to waterlogging.
“So, one can be successful in crop cultivation alongside fish farming by cultivating fish on a small scale as Enamul does,” he said.
The Fisheries department is always working so that farmers can apply advanced and modern techniques in fish farming, he added.
According to Md Anisur Rahman, another official of Fisheries department official in Jashore, Enamul made his mark in politics as well as fish farming. “He has created a record in producing ‘Pabda’ fish using the mechanical method at a low cost in a small water body.”
The fisheries official said Enamul is not only meeting the demand for protein but also creating jobs for many.
“The job crisis in Bangladesh can be minimised if Enamul Haque’s great initiative can be spread across the country,” he said.