Explaining the hurdles that fishermen have to face, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said on top of other miseries, they do not even get the aid meant for them during fishing bans.

“I’ve information. Please don’t mind. Fishermen do not get the 40-kg rice properly. Anomalies take place,” he said at the inaugural session of “National Fish Week 2021” yesterday.

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The National Fish Week 2021 began on Saturday and will continue till September 3.

Speaking to SM Rezaul Karim, minister of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), who was present at the programme, Razzaque requested a special programme and monitor so that aid reaches actual fishermen.

In three phases, the MoFL provided VGF rice to fishermen. A total of 16,721 tonnes of rice were distributed to 2,98,595 fishermen during the 65-day ban on catching fish in the sea.

About 56,228 tonnes of rice was distributed among 3,73,996 fishermen during the ban on catching Jatka (fish fry) and about 10,566 tonnes to 5,28,342 fishermen during the 22-day ban on catching brood Hilsa.

Razzaque called upon the MoFL to increase the amount of aid.

“We have to feel the struggles and [consider the] conditions of fishermen who live in remote areas of Barguna and Patuakhali. Their living standard is declining due to the rise in sea levels and many other reasons… It is our duty to look after them. As a part of the government, I’ll help you in this regard.”

Contacted, Zia Haider Chowdhury, project director (Hilsa) of the Department of Fisheries (DoF), said local administrations and public representatives are involved in aid distribution.

“We have to strengthen our monitoring this year to ensure that the aid reaches actual beneficiaries,” he said.

Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at the programme said the government has taken comprehensive measures to develop the fish sector of the country.

“Meeting nutrition demands, building a meritorious nation, resolving the unemployment problem, in other words, the overall socio-economic development of the country is related to the fish sector. That is why the government is giving emphasis on it,” she said.

Fisheries Minister Rezaul Karim said Bangladesh was internationally recognised for its success in fish production. The country came in third in catching fish from inland water bodies and fifth in fish farming in closed water bodies.

Bangladesh ranked first in the production of Hilsa and fourth in Tilapia, he said, adding that they have successfully revived 31 native fish.

Underscoring the need to catch fish from the sea in a well-planned manner, he said if fish is caught following scientific methods, marine life will not go extinct.

Twenty-one individual and organisations were handed gold and bronze medals for their outstanding contribution in the fish sector.

Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu, president, parliamentary standing committee on fisheries and livestock, Rawnak Mahmud, secretary at the MoFL, and Quazi Shams Afroz, director general of DoF were present, among others.