The New Nation - Internet Edition

Business Report

An Aquaculture Food Safety Centre (AFSC) is going to be set up in Bangladesh to provide training on good aquaculture practices (GAPs). Good Aquaculture Practices apply a set of management approaches based on International Principles of Responsible Aquaculture in an effort to ensure food safety, environmental sustainability, labour standards and other issues of social acceptability. These principles are to be applied at all levels of the shrimp value chain.

The Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF), Joint Institute of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), University of Maryland, USA, Katalyst, US AID supported PRICE project will sign a Memorandum of Understanding soon to develop the centre which will be affiliated with the Fisheries Product Business Promotion Council, the leading private-public aquaculture entity under the Ministry of Commerce.

The information was disclosed at a workshop on 'Environment and Good Aquaculture practices' jointly organised by the Department of Fisheries, Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation and Bangladesh Frozen Food and Exporters Association in collaboration with the US FDA and JIFSAN at CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka today (Thursday).

Dr. Mashiur Rahman, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs was present at the workshop as the Chief Guest.

Three important presentations were made at the workshop on Good Aquaculture Practices in sustaining the shrimp industry in Bangladesh by Dr. Mahmudul Karim of Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation, on FDA/JIFSAN Partnership by Christine Hilemen, US FDA and on GAP from US perspective by Brett Koonse of US FDA.

Professor Abdul Wahab of BAU, Jules Lampell, Chief of Party of USAID supports PRICE Project, Rajiv Pradhan, Director of Katalyst and Syed Mahmudul Huq, Chairperson, BSFF took part in the discussion.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Mashiur Rahman stressed the need of accelerating development of all potential water resources for fish and shrimp production in environment friendly and socially acceptable manners and carefully complying with the food safety rules. He applauded the joint efforts by the public and private sectors along with the development partners for development of shrimp industry, the second most important source of foreign exchange earning over which earned around US$ 445 million in the 2007-08.

He further held his expectation that the country had the potential to double the shrimp export volume and value by 2015.

The Adviser thanked BSFF/JIFSAN-FDA efforts to establish an Aquaculture Food Safety Centre in Bangladesh in collaboration with DoF and BFFEA with support from Katalyst and PRICE project-US AID.

He hoped that the Centre would greatly contribute to the development of trained manpower capable of supporting the national efforts for ensuring food safety in the shrimp products.

Senior officials of government and non-government organisations, university teachers, representatives from shrimp industry associations, and media were present at workshop.