Take up fish farming as livelihood: PM tells youths

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the youths to take up fish farming as their livelihood to exploit the huge scope of employment in this sector.

"There is a huge opportunity of employment in the sector and this should be utilised," she said in a pre-recorded video message to the 18th founding anniversary programme of Awami Matsyajibi League in Dhaka.

"We have taken measures to improve fish production through expansion of pisciculture and research," she said.

Hasina said the government is providing training to the youths on fish farming, so that they can make the country more advanced in fish production.

She said that Karmasangsthan Bank is providing collateral-free loan to youths so that they can be self-reliant.

Hasina said instead of running after office jobs on completion of studies, educated young people can engage in fish production as a means of livelihood.

She said that the government is establishing 100 economic zones across the country where food processing industries can be set up to create opportunities for marketing.

She said in 1996, the Awami League government made the country self-sufficient in food-grains production and after forming the government in 2009 it focused on increasing nutrition along with food.

In this connection, she said that the per capita fish consumption at the country is now 62 grams.

She said that due to the government's initiative to ensure nutrition, the citizens no longer suffer from malnutrition.

The prime minister said that to increase fish production further, which is now around 50 lakh metric tonnes a year, the government is renovating ponds, excavating canals, beel and rivers.

She also said that the government has taken up special measures to improve Hilsa production, in which Bangladesh is number one now.

"To stop Hilsa catching during the breeding season, the government is distributing free food among the fishermen (temporarily jobless)," she said.