Bangladesh has set a target of raising its annual export earnings from fisheries and fish products to US$1 billion by 2030, up from around $500 million in 2026, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid told Parliament on Tuesday.
He said the Department of Fisheries has prepared a five-year action plan to implement the government’s election manifesto, setting the export earnings target as part of its efforts to expand the country’s fisheries sector.
In a written reply to a question of BNP MP elected from Jamalpur-3 Md Mustafizur Rahman Babul in Parliament, the minister said Bangladesh earned $504.58 million, equivalent to around Tk6,193 crore by exporting 93,530 tonnes of fish and fish products in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The export earnings were $501 million from 90,620 tonnes in FY25, indicating an increase in both volume and value in the following fiscal year, he said.
According to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and Bangladesh Bank, the fisheries sector maintained positive export growth despite the global economic slowdown and unfavourable conditions in international markets, he said.
While the country’s overall merchandise export earnings fell slightly from $48.28 billion in FY25 to $48 billion in FY26, the contribution of fisheries to total exports increased from 1.04 percent to 1.05 percent.
The minister said Bangladesh exports fish and fish products to more than 52 countries, with the European Union remaining the largest destination.
Other major markets include China, India, the United States, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Nepal, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore and Qatar.
Frozen shrimp, particularly Bagda and Golda varieties, account for the largest share of Bangladesh’s fish exports, said the minister.
The country also exports crabs, eels, snails, mussels, marine fish, cuttlefish, squid, octopus, lobsters, scallops, freshwater fish, catfish, dried fish, fish maw, fish scales and shrimp shells.
The minister said the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is already implementing various initiatives to expand export markets and planned to strengthen these efforts further.
He said the fisheries sector also made a significant contribution to the domestic economy, accounting for 2.53 percent of the country’s GDP and 22.26 percent of agricultural GDP.
The minister said improved infrastructure, policy support, quality production, processing facilities and value addition could help the fisheries sector emerge as a stronger non-RMG export driver for Bangladesh.