Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter on Sunday warned against the use of harmful pesticides that compromise nutritional value, highlighting the critical importance of ensuring public health and nutrition security.  She made these remarks while addressing a roundtable discussion on “Opportunities, Experiences and Challenges in Implementing Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Services at the District Level,” held at a hotel in Cox’s Bazar.  The adviser pointed out that industrial pollution remains a major obstacle to safe food production, with rivers and seas increasingly contaminated. “Microplastics have been found in fish. We are also opposing golden rice, as there are many local foods rich in zinc that can address the deficiency,” she said.  Highlighting the need for grassroots-level awareness, the advisor called for a social movement to promote nutritional consciousness and emphasised empowering women to achieve this goal. She also stressed the importance of safe practices in fish and livestock feed production, underscoring the need to focus on native fish varieties and region-specific livestock. "Nutrition is a fundamental right and ensuring it requires coordinated efforts from all sectors. Departments and agencies must work together to raise awareness on nutritional security," she added.  The advisor also expressed concerns about prioritising farmed fish over native species and the unsafe practices in animal feed. "Increasing local fish production is essential, as we have significant biodiversity that must be preserved,” she noted.  On women's empowerment, Farida Akhter stated, "Nearly half of pregnant women in Bangladesh suffer from anemia. Women's malnutrition is closely tied to their lack of rights. For the betterment of future generations, both men and women must be made aware of nutritional needs. However, women are key agents of change and empowering them will enable them to take a stand."  River, forestland encroachers to face strict action: Rizwana The roundtable was moderated Samakal’s Online-in-charge Goutam Mandal and presided over by Sayka Siraj, country director of Nutrition International. Nutrition International’s National Program Manager Iftia Zerin presented the keynote paper.  Later in the afternoon, the adviser visited the Cox’s Bazar district's ‘Dried Fish Processing Industry Establishment (1st Revised)’ project.  

The fisheries and agriculture sectors in Narail have incurred losses worth Tk 100 crore, due to flood caused by multiple rounds of heavy rainfall during the monsoon. Massive flooding after continuous rains submerged at least 3,500 fish enclosures and ponds, out of 5,300 on 1,700 hectares of land in the district. About 66% of the fish enclosures were impacted, resulting in losses of Tk 90 crore in the fisheries sector alone, according to Fisheries Department. Department of Agricultural Extension sources said the flood also damaged crops, including Aman paddy and vegetables such as beans, pumpkins, cucumbers, and papayas, causing an additional losses worth Tk 10 crore. Thousands of farmers in Narail Sadar, Lohagara, and Kalia upazilas were severely impacted, with Narail Sadar and Kalia being the most affected. Haor tourism: Sunamganj sees increased tourist flow after losses Local farmers and DAE officials said the district's economy heavily relies on agriculture and fish farming, surrounded by wetlands and enclosures. About 82% of the population is engaged in agriculture, and over 50,000 people are directly involved in fish farming. The scale of the damage has left many in distress, including fish farmer Md. Ahaduzzaman from Bhawakali wetland, who said, "I invested heavily this year, hoping to earn at least Tk 10 lakh, but my three enclosures were completely flooded." He also lost his vegetable crops and now struggles to repay loans. Other farmers face similar difficulties. Jiru Sheikh, a fish farmer from Durgapur, said, "I have never faced such losses before. All the fish from my enclosures have been washed away, causing a loss of Tk 7 lakh." Azizur Sheikh from the same area reported damages exceeding Tk 8 lakh after losing fish from four of his five enclosures and the vegetables on the banks. Farmer Khaza Mia lamented that the flooding made it impossible to distinguish between the wetland and enclosures, while Tazibur Sherikh from Arpara village said he could no longer walk across fields without a boat. The agriculture and fisheries departments have started assessing the damage. Chili growers in Manikganj worried over low production due to drought Md. Ashek Parvez, Deputy Director of the DAE, said, "A list of affected farmers has been prepared. The government will provide fertilisers and seeds to help them recover." Besides, District Fisheries Officer H.M. Badruzzaman  said a list of affected fish enclosure owners has been submitted to higher authorities for possible assistance. Despite the devastation, Narail remains a surplus district in food and fish production. The annual fish demand is 16,000 metric tons, but production reaches at least 18,000 metric tons, leaving a surplus of 2,000 metric tons. Besides, the district produces at least one lakh metric tons of surplus food annually. However, the recent rainfall has jeopardised the livelihoods of thousands dependent on fisheries and agriculture. Read more: BNP calls for relief support for flood-hit farmers in North, Mymensingh

The recent floods in Sherpur, a northern district of Bangladesh, have caused extensive losses amounting to about Tk 600 crore in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, according to official sources. They said roads and other infrastructures under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) have suffered a loss of nearly Tk 113 crore in damages. The district office of Water Development Board has also incurred substantial losses, though an exact figure is yet to be reported, according to the officials. While the floodwaters began receding from Wednesday, the struggles of the flood-hit communities continue, as the full extent of the devastation becomes apparent. Waterborne diseases, such as diarrhoea, dysentery and skin infections, have been reported as the affected areas experience an acute shortage of clean drinking water. Read more: 3 die as flood situation deteriorates in Sherpur; army joins rescue operation However, district Civil Surgeon Dr Jasim Uddin refuted claims of a health crisis, saying that the diarrhoeal situation is under control. He mentioned that four medical teams, consisting of Army personnel, physicians, and medical students, are currently providing healthcare support to the affected population. On Saturday, a visit to Pichhlakuri village in Nakla upazila revealed the heartbreaking aftermath of the disaster. The village, home to around 100 families, including 40 from the Hindu community, suffered widespread destruction of homesteads, possessions and croplands along the Bhogai River. Members of the Hindu community expressed their grief over the fact that they were unable to celebrate Durga Puja, the largest festival in their religious calendar, as their temples were submerged when an embankment of the Bhogai River collapsed. Read:Death toll from Sherpur floods rises to 9 as one more dies Floodwaters still linger in several croplands, hampering recovery efforts. A one-and-a-half-kilometre road, extending from Pichhlakuri Government Primary School to Tarakanda, was heavily damaged, with over 50 cracks making it nearly impassable. The deteriorating road conditions have compounded the difficulties in delivering much-needed relief supplies to the flood-affected families. Ahalla Rani Borman, a 50-year-old resident, described the desperate conditions her community is facing. "We have no food, drinking water, or other essential supplies," she lamented. Borman claimed that they have only received a small amount of aid in the form of a single packet of hotchpotch and half a kilogram of puffed rice since the floods struck, and many families are enduring days of hunger. Borman further alleged that no government representatives, including members of the local union parishad, have visited the area to assess their situation or provide support. Read more: Flood Control and How to Minimise Losses

Bangladesh and Botswana have agreed to identify potential areas of cooperation in agriculture, livestock and fisheries and exchange technical knowledge and expertise in the agriculture sector. Both sides agreed to continue discussions in agriculture and fisheries at the government, farmers and expert levels. Bangladesh's State Minister Md Shahriar Alam, who is on a two-day official bilateral visit to Botswana, met with Botswana's Minister of Agriculture Fidelis M Malao in Gaborone Friday (February 10, 2023). Shahriar was accompanied by the Bangladesh High Commissioner in Pretoria, foreign ministry officials and embassy officials. Read More: US sees huge potential to grow its relations with Bangladesh: Counselor Chollet The Botswana delegation was represented by high officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, including representatives of the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Fidelis said Botswana is connected to many countries of the region by land routes. The Botswana government is putting special focus on developing the country's fisheries and aquaculture sectors, he added. Shahriar said his visit to Botswana marked the first foreign ministry delegation visit to Botswana and expressed satisfaction over the conclusion of the visa waiver agreement for holders of diplomatic and official passports and memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bilateral political consultations between the countries. Read More: Business Eswatini for signing MoU with FBCCI He briefed the Botswana side about Bangladesh's achievements in the agriculture sector during the last decade, including the production of food staples, vegetables, fisheries, poultry and livestock, despite having a comparatively low amount of land. He called on the Botswana side for considering providing contract farming opportunities to Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in the unused agricultural land.  Bangladesh already initiated contract farming in other countries in Africa on a low scale, Shahriar added. "Cooperation may be forged among B2B and B2G levels on contract farming."

Already hit-hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, when tourism and fisheries sectors in Kuakata are trying to make a recovery, frequent load shedding have dealt another blow. Bearing the brunt are hotel and motel owners in Kuakata, wholesale fish traders in the district’s Alipur and Mahipur landing stations, and trawler owners. When the government decided to stop buying liquified natural gas (LNG) from the international spot market because of a sharp price hike in July, the power supply situation began to deteriorate. Daily hour-long area-based load shedding started across Bangladesh from July 19, 2022 to tackle the ongoing energy crisis. Owners of hotels, motels, ice mills and fish traders said they are counting huge losses due to incessant power cuts. Read More: Kuakata Sea Beach, Bangladesh: Magnificent sunrise, sunset views to remember Motaleb Sharif, General Secretary of Kuakata Hotel Motel Owners Association and Owner of Kuakata Guest House, said that the number of tourists in Kuakata is dwindling due to rampant load shedding. “There are a total of 150 big and small hotels and motels in Kuakata. Although these establishments were abuzz with tourists, this isn’t the case anymore. We’re frustrated with up to six load shedding every day. Tourists are losing interest because of the inconvenience,” Motaleb said. He added that although they had informed the Prime Minister’s Energy Advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury about the problem and demanded establishment of a power sub-station in the area, no steps have been taken yet. Rahim Khan, owner of Khan Palace, said that refrigerators and air conditioners are being damaged due to the frequent power cuts. Read More: Dead dolphin washes ashore on Kuakata beach “We have to spend more than what we earn from the boarders. We experience load shedding even on weekends, which is discouraging tourists. Although a 1320 MW thermal power plant has been set up in Payra, people of Patuakhali are yet to reap its benefits,” Rahim said.

Bangladesh and the Maldives on Thursday agreed to exchange knowledge in the areas of fisheries and agriculture alongside the exchange of agreements for cooperation in health and sports sectors and avoidance of double taxation. “Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) and I (Mohamed Solih) also agreed to exchange knowledge and assistance in the areas of fisheries and agriculture,” said President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in a joint press statement after bilateral talks between the two sides at his office here. He said they also discussed ways to expand economic and trade cooperation, increased connectivity and tourism between Bangladesh and the Maldives. Also read: Hasina for tapping Bangladesh-Maldives’ full trade potentials The agreements exchanged today are on Avoidance of Double Taxation; MoU on the Recruitment of Health Professionals; the renewed MoU on collaboration for the improvement of healthcare systems and addressing public health challenges; and the MoU on Cooperation in Youth and Sports Development, will contribute to further advancing our bilateral cooperation, said the Maldivian President.

Gurudev Haldar, a local fisherman, caught an 18.2-kg Catla fish from the Padma River at Char Karneshna in Goalanda upazila early Saturday to change his fortune. Talking to local newsmen, the lucky fisherman of Pabna Kajirhat said he along with his associates went out on a predawn fishing mission in the river. Read Researchers find way to save Kakila fish from extinction: BFRI At one stage, Gurudev and his men netted the giant Catla and later sold it in an auction fetching a huge amount.  Mohammad Chandu Mollah, a local fish trader, bought the fish at Tk 25,400 -- Tk 1,400 per kg – in the auction at a local fish market adjacent to Daulatdia Ghat in the morning. Now Chandu expects to sell it at Tk 1,500 per kg. Read Hilsa Ilisha: The National Fish and Silver Pride of Bangladesh About the river condition and availability of fish, Chandu said, “The river water has started receding with the weakening of monsoon, and many fish like Catla, Rui, Boal, Pangas are now found in abundance. Fishermen from Manikganj and Pabna districts are having a good time with amazing catches,” he said. Mohamamd Rezaul Sharif, a fisheries official of Goalanda, said huge fish are expected to be netted now as Padma water keeps receding. Read How Jashore’s fisheries output grew in the midst of a pandemic

Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute is currently on a roll and writing one success story after another in its quest for artificial insemination of endangered indigenous species of fish and the latest one has come in regards to Kakila. The institute, which has won the Ekushey Padak in native fish conservation research, hopes that these achievements will have a huge impact in the conservation of endangered indigenous fish as well as contribute to higher production of native fish in the country. While talking to UNB, the researchers of BFRI said that at one time indigenous species of fish could be found in abundance in inland waters, but many of these have either disappeared or on verge of being extinct due to damage to habitats and breeding grounds triggered by climate change, natural disasters and other man-made causes. Read: How Jashore's fisheries output grew in the midst of a pandemic But scientists working in the Jashore centre of BFRI have recently made huge progress in inventing artificial breeding techniques for such species of fish. They have achieved this after three years of intensive research. The chief scientific officer of BFRI Jessore substation Dr Md Rabiul Awal Hossain, senior scientific officer Shariful Islam and scientific officer Shishir Kumar Dey conducted the study. Consider Kakila, once found in plenty in inland fresh water bodies including rivers, ponds and haors’ (a wetland ecosystem in the north eastern part of Bangladesh). Read Hilsa Ilisha: The National Fish and Silver Pride of Bangladesh The onion meals made out of Kakila are like nectar to the foodies. It is not only a tongue pleaser, but this fish is also rich in beneficial nutrients for the human body. Researchers told UNB that per 100 grams of edible kakila fish contains 16.1 per cent protein, 2.23 per cent lipid, 2.14 per cent phosphorus and 0.94 per cent calcium which is much higher than other small fish. According to the scientists, Kakila, (Xenentodon cancila, Scientific name) is recognised as Freshwater garfish  in English. It belongs to the Belonidae family of fish. Read: Khulna shrimp farmers fighting to regain business amid pandemic Apart from Bangladesh, the fish is found in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand. However, there are some differences in colour and size.

In the midst of the most significant economic slowdown in decades, the fisheries sector in coastal district Jashore proved a mainstay for the economy in the 2020-21 fiscal, that helped Bangladesh avoid recession or even contraction. Bangladesh’s GDP growth fell from 8.2% in the 2019-20 fiscal to just 3.8% in 2020-21 – theslowest annual growth in the country’s GDP in 30 years. That represents a slump in economic activity that would have been unacceptable in normal times. But in a year blighted by the virus where we saw most countries experience contraction in their economies (negative growth), Bangladesh’s 3.8% was the fifth-highest GDP growth rate in the world. Read Hilsa Ilisha: The National Fish and Silver Pride of Bangladesh The economic downturn brought on by the pandemic affected almost every sector in the country. The impact was pervasive yet uneven. This was the general picture reflected in most economies around the world. For the record, the world economy did fall into recession in 2020, with the IMF's final assessment estimating it shrank 3.3%. The fisheries sector emerged as one of the major pillars holding up the economy and helping Bangladesh to avoid a recession. Technically, a country’s economy enters recession once it experiences two successive quarters of negative growth, or contraction. To get out of a recession then requires two successive quarters of growth back. Read: Hilsa prices rise as catch from the Padma dries up  

The carcass of a humpback whale washed ashore on the Himchhari beach adjacent to Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf marine drive on Friday morning. Locals found the rotting carcass when the tide was receding. “We suspect that the whale died a week ago. Samples from the carcass have been collected for tests. The reason behind its death can be known after a necropsy,” said SM Khalequzzaman, the Cox’s Bazar District Fisheries Officer. Read Dead tiger’s autopsy done in Bagerhat The 44 feet long whale is believed to be about 17 years old, said marine biologist Jahirul Islam. Khalequzzaman said this species is seen in the Bay in the south-western part of the Sundarbans. The last time a whale washed ashore here was in 2008. In 1991, another whale carcass had washed ashore on Laboni beach. Additional Deputy Commissioner Amin Al Parvez told reporters that they would try to determine the cause of the whale’s death and bury it as soon as possible. Read Whale 'swallows' sea lion: 'It was a once-in-a-lifetime event'