A joint cooperation aimed at investing six million Euros to develop sustainable growth of Bangladesh’s aquaculture sector has formally been launched. An agreement was signed on Wednesday at the head office of Aftab Bahumukhi firm at Banani. Birgitta Tazelaar, Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed the agreement on behalf of the Netherlands, and Abu Lutfe Fazle Rahim Khan, Director of Aftab Bahumukhi Farms, and Mahmud Riyad, General Manager, Operations, Gemini Seafood, signed on behalf of the respective firm. The partnership consisted of Aftab Bahumukhi Farms, Gemini Sea Food, Nutreco, Viqon, LightCastle Partners, and Larive International. The parties will establish three centres of excellence in Sylhet, Khulna, and Cox’s Bazar to introduce and demonstrate different types of improved and more sustainable techniques for fish breeding and cultivation. Moreover, research and trials with on-farm products such as feed additives, aqua specialties and antibiotic replacers will be conducted and technical assistance to fish breeders and farmers will be provided. In addition, the partnership will upgrade an aqua feed line in Dhaka to increase the availability of domestically produced specialized fish feed. Read:S Korea to provide $ 3 bn soft loans to Bangladesh: Ambassador Lee The four-year cooperation, titled ‘FoodTechBangladesh’, co-financed by the Dutch Embassy in Bangladesh, will contribute to improving the technical and commercial performance of fish breeders and farmers in Bangladesh by demonstrating best practices and transferring know-how, said a press release on Wednesday. Over 1,600 local fish breeders and farmers will receive training at centres of excellence and via online courses. In addition, the partnership will reduce post-harvest losses by connecting fish breeders and farmers directly to end markets. Addressing on the occasion, Anne van Leeuwen, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, said, “The Dutch Embassy in Bangladesh supports the development of more sustainable agri-food value chains in Bangladesh and encourages Dutch companies to locally invest together with local stakeholders”. “We are glad that via this cooperation we are to contribute to increased food security, more sustainable water usage and strengthen the cooperation between the Dutch and Bangladeshi private sector”. Matthias Brienen, Director of Larive International, said: “Strengthening the aquaculture sector in Bangladesh requires an increase in domestic productivity in an environmentally and socially responsible way. This can be realized via introducing technologies developed in the Netherlands”. FoodTechBangladesh is initiated and led by Netherlands-based Larive International in close collaboration with its Bangladesh-based affiliate LightCastle Partners.

Speakers at a webinar on Wednesday urged Dutch investors to invest in Bangladesh’s aquaculture sector for steady growth and diversification noting that the sector is facing problems due to Covid-19 situation. On behalf of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Dhaka, Larive International, and their Bangladeshi counterpart, LightCastle Partners, have concluded a study titled ‘Opportunities in the aquaculture sector in Bangladesh’. Larive International and LightCastle Partners jointly held a webinar titled "Opportunities in the Aquaculture sector in Bangladesh" Wednesday to disseminate the study’s findings. Harry Verweij, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Bangladesh and M. Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands, spoke on the occasion. Also read: Dutch NGOs reiterate support to Bangladesh The key speakers were Matthias Brienen, Director of Larive International; Zahed Amin, Director of LightCastle Partners; and Saif Nazrul, Senior Business Consultant and Project Manager at LightCastle Partners. The study projected the per capita fish consumption of Bangladesh to grow to 23.1 kg/ per day by 2025 from 21.8 kg /day in 2019, facilitated by a projected growth in fisheries production to 5.67 million MT by 2024, signifying an annual production growth of 5.2%. But Covid-19 has greatly disturbed the fisheries market, increasing its consumption while also increasing prices of fish feed drastically, said a media release. Also read: Swedish, Dutch envoys for maintaining focus on Rohingya crisis until their repatriation Farms faced increased loss due to delayed harvest, markets are still volatile due to repercussions of supply chain disruption, local demand increased, shrimp export plummeted and seed prices increased, the study said, calling for taking necessary steps.   Riaz Hamidullah said, “Time is indeed ripe for the Dutch actors to engage in Bangladesh as we strive to scale higher as a key aquaculture powerhouse”. The study identified a lack of quality seeds, poor animal health, low availability of high-quality feed, post-harvest loss and less-developed cold chain facilities among some of the critical bottlenecks of the sector. Also read: Investment Summit to attract Dutch investors in key sectors in Bangladesh The study also presented opportunities for Dutch stakeholders in the aquaculture sector ranging from facilitating training programs, setting quality and regulatory protocols, expanding use of improved technology, and technical assistance in the identification and prevention of diseases. The report contended that Dutch stakeholders can also support the sector’s growth by investing in agro-logistics, building cold chain solutions, and strengthening capacity throughout the value chain by providing technological, business development, and knowledge-sharing support. The study’s outcome will be to help match and connect Bangladeshi and Dutch partners to act upon the study’s recommendations and jointly address the sector bottlenecks to achieve the full potential of Bangladesh’s aquaculture sector.