Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim has said that various climate resilient projects are being implemented at the initiative of the government for the production of climate tolerant fish and livestock.
The minister was speaking as the special guest at a national dialogue titled 'Agricultural Production in Hostile Climate: Unstable Global Trade in Agricultural Products' organized by Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum at KIB Convention Hall at Farmgate in the capital on Sunday.
At the time, the minister said, "We are dealing with various adverse environments, including floods, droughts, rising sea levels and increasing salinity due to climate change. Adversity needs to be tackled using modern technology through scientific research. At the initiative of the government, endangered species of fish and livestock are being protected by inventing them.”
Due to unfavorable environment, 64 species of native fish were lost in the country. Through research, our scientists have so far discovered artificial insemination techniques and farming methods for 34 endangered native fish. Most recently, the Fisheries Research Institute has discovered the breeding techniques of native species of shoal fish through 8 years of research. In Mymensingh, 102 species of fish have been preserved through live fish gene bank. If a particular fish is lost in a region, it will be possible to spread the fish fry from the gene bank to the rivers, canals and haors of that region.
Rezaul Karim also said that the government has given cash incentives to the entrepreneurs and farmers in the fishery and livestock sector affected by the Covis-19 pandemic. In this they have been able to turn around.
“The state has made arrangements to turn around in the changed situation. Arrangements have been made to sell milk, eggs, fish and meat in pandemic on the initiative of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. This has benefited producers, suppliers, marketers and consumers. Through this, products worth around Tk 9,000 crore have been sold in the mobile system.”
The minister added that mobile veterinary clinics have been set up at the initiative of the government so that veterinary treatment is not disrupted in hostile situations. Thus, measures have been taken to deal with hostile weather and adverse environment through modern methods.
He added that the government has given tax concessions on imports of poultry and fish feed materials to stabilize the fish, meat, milk and egg markets in the hostile situation of the pandemic. The government is also considering giving tax exemption to entrepreneurs interested in setting up poultry and fish feed manufacturing industries.
