The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rangpur

"Ensuring Food Security and Poverty Alleviation in Poverty-prone Greater Rangpur" launched by the government at a cost of about Taka 12 crore is progressing well in the area, officials said today.

The Department of Fisheries (DF) in collaboration with NGOs is implementing the project for ensuring food security and poverty alleviation through fish farming and creating jobs for the hardcore poor and unemployed youths in seasonal 'Monga'-prone Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Kurigram districts of greater Rangpur.

Scientists and experts of the Parbotipur Sweetwater Fish Farming Sub-Centre (SFFSC) in collaboration with the concerned District DFs and under the assistance of Bangladesh Fish Research Institute (BFRI) conducted a series of training courses for unemployed youths and fish farmers to increase fish production by providing the fish farmers with the latest technologies.

Besides, huge motivational activities were conducted by the concerned departments during the recently observed Fish Fortnight for preserving indigenous species of fish and increasing production of all varieties of fish in the prospective greater Rangpur region, the officials said.

The officials said the three-year project was launched during the current fiscal to boost the pisciculture sector through increased farming of all variety fishes in the available water bodies, crop fields and floodplains in these five districts where the seasonal 'Monga' repeats every year with different extents of severity.

Development work including renovation, re-excavation, digging, construction of necessary infrastructures and other works of hundreds of abandoned, derelict and hyacinth water bodies including ponds, beels, haors, dried up river beds at suitable places and raising of embankments are still continuing for the project in greater Rangpur.