Mohammad Masud Majumder:
Fisheries and Livestock Advisor Farida Akhtar has called on the government and development partners to come forward to improve the living standards of the residents of coastal areas. She said that the role of the government, development partners and donor agencies in improving the living standards of the fishermen and Rohingyas living in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal is undeniable.
The advisor made these remarks while delivering the chief guest speech at a day-long workshop titled “Mid-term Progress Review Work Workshop on Fisheries Livelihood Enhancement Project in the Coastal Area of ​​the Bay of Bengal (FiLEP)” at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in Dhaka on Monday morning, May 26.
The Fisheries Advisor said that the Bangladesh government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) can play a significant role in improving the living standards of the locals, including fishermen in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal, who have been displaced by the arrival of Myanmar’s displaced Rohingyas.
He also said that in addition to rice production, fish and livestock are essential for meeting nutritional needs in the Bengali food production of fish and rice. He called on all development partners to come forward to improve the living standards of coastal residents by providing support and encouraging local fishermen.
Considering the initial success and strong potential of this project, the advisor requested JICA to consider expanding the scope of the project to all coastal districts of Bangladesh.
“By scaling up this initiative, we can increase its benefits; strengthen resilience in climate-vulnerable regions; and play a significant role in developing a sustainable blue economy,” he said.
The advisor called on everyone to work together, saying that we must ensure that no small-scale fisher is left behind and that we can achieve sustainable development, including enhancing the dignity of coastal communities.
Director General of the Department of Fisheries Dr. Md. Abdur Rouf presided over the event, and other speakers included Chairman of the Fisheries Development Corporation Surya Akhtar Jahan, Director General of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Anuradha Bhadra, Senior Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Bangladesh Office Ms. Miura Mari, and Principal Advisor of the FiLEP Project Sugiyama Shunji. The workshop was presented by Project Director Md. Asaduzzaman. Officials from various levels of the Department of Fisheries were present at the event.
Views: 5
