Seaweed farming holds enormous prospect for Bangladesh to expand its blue economy as the marine plants and algae have multipurpose applications in industries like food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and fertilizer in local and global markets, according to experts in this field. To promote seaweed farming commercially, the country needs to develop its market value chain which is missing yet, they said. This world’s fast-growing sector still remains almost unexplored in Bangladesh despite having a large sea area in the Bay of Bengal following the disposal of maritime disputes with two neighbouring countries –Myanmar and India, said the experts. Read Be the flag-bearer of Bangladesh's blue economy, President tells Navy “Bangladesh can produce seaweed commercially alongside the fisheries and other marine resources in a bid to unlock the full potential of the blue economy,” said Dr Md Kawser Ahmed, Professor of Oceanography Department at Dhaka University. He said the contribution of seaweed is enormous not only to the economy but also to the environment and ecology. Read: Bangladesh's Blue Economy Cell falters; no progress in 4 yrs

Experts at a programme here on Wednesday stressed the importance of developing the skills of the country’s 6.5 lakh coastal fishermen to tap the extraordinary potentials of Bangladesh’s blue economy.