The New Nation - Internet Edition

AS planned by the government earlier, the Directorate of Fisheries has been implementing a fisheries development project with the objective of ensuring 'food security' by creating job opportunities for the ultra poor in the poverty-stricken northern districts. The three-year project is being executed mostly in the five districts of Greater Rangpur, as reported recently in print media.

Under the project, 200 hectares of state and private level derelict, hyacinth-filled unused and abandoned water bodies like ponds, beels and dried canals and rivers of the region have been re-excavated to make those suitable for fish culture. The developed water bodies are now being handed over to the target group phase-wise after organising them for fish farming. As outlined in the project, the beneficiaries are being made capable of operating fish farms in the developed water bodies Apart from this, the project has been designed to equip the beneficiaries by imparting need-based training and releasing fish by arranging transportation, marketing and feeding. Extension activities and technical training for the farmers are also being implemented together. Likewise, local non-governmental organisations are being given responsibility to motivate poor and unemployed farmers engage in modern fish culture.

Officials involved in the project at the field level are hopeful that on successful implementation, the project would help production of additional upto 600 tons of fish every year besides creating employment opportunity for ultra-poor people sitting idle in the region for most of the year. Besides fish culture, various environment-friendly saplings of trees would be planted in the poverty-prone areas. This would, obviously, ensure an additional financial security. The unemployed and non-skilled people could thus be transformed into skilled and production-oriented workforce that can lessen poverty easily within shortest possible time, provided the government officials entrusted with the project implementation work seriously, sincerely and honestly.