Mita Khatun from Natore was married at the age of just 13, but that did not stop her from pursuing a higher education and making herself independent.
In 2019, Mita decided to pursue a long-time interest In fish farming. Today, the people in her locality consider her an authority on fish fry hatching and production.
In conversation with Dhaka Tribune yesterday, Mita shared how she herself devoted herself to becoming knowledgeable about fish farming to excel in the business, and also her dedication to spreading the information she has learned among others.
“Through spreading scientific information, I aspire to help other women to acquire accurate knowledge about fish farming so that they become successful as small entrepreneurs,” said Mita Khatun.
“Recently a female neighbor came to me to seek knowledge on how to hatch fish because she was planning to enter hatchling production. Since she lives nearby, she comes to me occasionally to seek information about hatchling production and pond ecology after observing the outcomes of my advice. I try my best to equip them with scientific information which I learnt from my training,” she added.
After advancing her knowledge on pisciculture through a three day long technical training program initiated by World Fish last year, Mita Khatun was chosen as a local service provider (LSP) by the organization. She soon started sharing her learning with other women within her community.
“The people of earlier days actually did not know many trifles of fish farming, so they faced problems such as facing less production or fish getting sick. In this training, I learned that modern farming has actually changed a lot.”
Her acquired knowledge of food portions, reasons for gas production in the pond, water levels, cleaning procedures, and counting of fish has helped her as well as others significantly.
As an LSP, Mita organizes meetings every three months to ensure that every woman in her locality is well informed about fish farming.
How did it all start?
Although Mita was married at the age of just 13, her husband supported her pursuit of a higher education.
After completing her master’s degree at Rajshahi College in 2016, she looked for jobs for a short time but found no luck. In 2019, she started working in fish farming with her husband in Lalpur upazila of Natore.
“I have had an interest in fish farming for a long time. Since my husband has been in this profession for the last eight years, I thought why not explore the area,” she said. She swiftly learned the basics through working with her husband and then augmented her knowledge through the training program.
Mita now has two ponds for hatchling production that have so far proven profitable.
“It wouldn't have been possible for me to reach where I am today if my husband and family weren’t supportive,” she said.
Although her husband and family have always been supportive of her pursuing a career as an entrepreneur, Mita initially faced backlash from others in society. However, after observing the potential in Mita’s endeavours, the other villagers also gradually started changing their mindset regarding women empowerment.
Apart from serving as an LSP and her fishing business, Mita also teaches at a PKSF supported educational program for out of school children.
An important lesson
Mita had always wondered why women in her locality were not eligible for government funding in fish farming. She got her answer while participating with her husband in the training program initiated by World Fish last year.
“Without a trade license or bank account, how would the government know that we are contributing to our economy? Once the importance of these things was understood, my husband and I did not delay in getting a trade license and opening bank account,” she said.
Apart from informing about fish farming techniques, she also encourages other women to focus on the business aspects of the industry.
