Bangladesh exported about 91,000 tonnes of fish and fisheries products worth Taka 6,145 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal year while the emerging the sector contributes 2.53 percent to the national GDP and 22.26 percent of the agricultural GDP.
The data was reveled at a stakeholders meeting on Tuesday in the port city Khulna.
Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) arranged the meeting jointly with Department of Fisheries, Khulna at it’s office. Speakers mentioned that, according to data from the 2023-24 fiscal year, the country's total fish production stood at 5.018 million tons. More than 20 million people, including 1.4 million women, are directly or indirectly involved in the fisheries sector.
Bangladesh ranks first in Hilsa catch, second in inland open-water fish production, and fifth in Tilapia farming worldwide.
at a stakeholder meeting titled "Sustainable Development and Optimum Utilization of Fisheries Resources" on the occasion of National Fisheries Week.
Bipul Kumar Basak, Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries, Khulna Divisional Office, attended as the chief guest, while S. Humayun Kabir, former Vice-President of BFFEA, presided over the event. District Fisheries Officer Md. Badruzzaman, Quality Assurance Manager of the Department of Fisheries' Quality Control Laboratory Md Zahidul Hasan, and Senior Assistant Director of the Fish Inspection and Quality Control Department, Khulna Md. Abul Hasan spoke as special guests.
At the event, Lipton Sardar, Quality Control Officer of the Fish Inspection and Quality Control Department, presented a paper on the contribution of Khulna's fisheries sector, profitable and sustainable aquaculture practices, and the Fish and Fisheries Products (Inspection and Quality Control) Act 2020.
In his remarks, Bipul Kumar Basak said if standards are not maintained or adulterants are used in fish and shrimp, Bangladesh may lose its international export market.
"It is essential to ensure regular monitoring of quality standards at every stage, including seed collection, farming, harvesting, marketing, and processing," he said.
Special guests said the fisheries sector once ranked second in the country's total export earnings but has now dropped to seventh. They said reversing this trend is crucial.
Fisheries sector traders sought policy support from the government, including the establishment of separate economic zones.
Fish farmers, traders, and stakeholders from the export sector, among others, attended the event.
