Fisheries adviser urges ramping up fish and meat production to meet Ramadan demand

Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar has urged farmers to increase the production of fish and meat to meet the rising demand during Ramadan.

She also called authorities to ensure that surplus food from different regions are sent to other departments to manage the increased demand.

The adviser made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a views-exchange meeting with officials from the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Livestock at the Eque Heritage Hotel and Resort in Nilphamari's Saidpur today (30 November).

She also called on officials to work closely with farmers to ensure marginal farmers benefit from these initiatives.

Farida discussed efforts to combat illegal fishing nets, saying that simply punishing fishermen was not enough. She stressed the need for urgent action to shut down factories that produce illegal nets. The government is working to improve the living conditions of fishermen by distributing modern registration cards, she added.

She assured that the government is taking steps to reduce the exploitation of farmers by middlemen, so farmers can receive fair prices for their products.

She also mentioned the government's efforts to address the shortage of vaccines for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) that affects livestock, especially among marginal farmers.

To discourage tobacco cultivation, the adviser highlighted the harmful health effects of tobacco, which increases the risk of premature death.

She suggested that farmers could grow corn instead of tobacco to meet the shortage of cattle fodder.

The meeting was chaired by Nilphamari Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Nairuzzaman and attended by divisional-level officers from the Department of Fisheries and Livestock in Rangpur, along with livestock officers and district fisheries officers from Gaibandha, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, and Nilphamari districts.