A government official has said that the country can build a new Padma Bridge every year with the profits made by selling hilsa only.
Faridpur District Fisheries Officer Prashant Kumar Sarkar made the remark at a discussion meeting on the occasion opening ceremony of National Fisheries Week on Sunday.
He backed up his claim with statistics by pointing out that around 565,000 metric tons of hilsa fish are produced in the country every year.
If one hilsa fish is sold at the rate of Tk500 per kg, the annual income is Tk28,000 crore in total. “So, It is very much possible to build a Padma Bridge every year just by selling hilsa,” he added.
Talking to the fish traders of the district, Prashant Kumar Sarkar said: “Fish traders should earn a profit but they can not be greedy.”
This year’s Fisheries Week is being celebrated from July 23-29.
Speakers in the meeting also mentioned that the Jalmohal (water states) get leased to political leaders under the guise of different names and associations instead of real fishermen. As a result, genuine fishermen are deprived.
They demanded that the Jalmohals across the country are leased to real fishermen instead of local leaders.
Supporting this claim, Faridpur Sadar Upazila Parishad Chairman Abdur Razzak said: “No lease will be granted to a person with any political affiliation.”
Deputy Commissioner Atul Sarkar addressed the meeting as the chief guest and said that Faridpur has been lagging far behind the neighboring districts in terms of fisheries. “To emphasize Faridpur, everyone has to perform their duties with devotion,” he added.
