The cabinet yesterday approved the draft of “The National Shrimp Policy 2014” aiming to boost shrimp production and raising export earnings which was Tk3,376 crore last fiscal year.
The approval was given at a regular meeting of the Cabinet held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Earlier, the fisheries and livestock ministry finalised the draft of shrimp policy last March to increase shrimp production through planned cultivation.
Ministry officials said the new policy would help raise production considering all environmental aspects by using sustainable technology.
It is also expected to meet the growing domestic demand of shrimp.
After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told journalists that the policy would be useful not only in increasing production but also in improving qualitative standard.
“It will help flourish shrimp industry, raise employment opportunities, alleviate poverty, raise export earnings and meet up nutritional demand of the people,” he said.
The cabinet secretary said: “Shrimp sector is very important for us as it’s the second largest export sector in Bangladesh.”
About 1.50 crore of people including women are employed in the sector with the shrimp export fetching Tk3,376 crore in the last fiscal year, he said.
According to him, although the shrimp sector was included in the national fisheries policy in 1998, the ministry concerned felt that the indicative guidelines regarding shrimp in that policy were inadequate, requiring a big and full-fledged policy exclusively on shrimp.
He said the main goals of the policy include maintaining environmental and ecological balance, protection of biodiversity, improvement of public health and nutrition, employment generation, empowerment of women, shrimp production, processing and marketing, export market expansion of shrimp and raising overall economic growth.
The policy has addressed all the issues, problems and prospects regarding shrimp, cabinet secretary claimed.
Highlighting some features of the policy, Bhuiyan said in the policy shrimp has been considered in a holistic manner.
As per the policy, stress will be given on increasing production, imparting training, expansion, quality control, protection of biodiversity, crop diversification, crop rotation, land zoning, crop zoning and research.
The policy was tabled in the cabinet meeting for its approval following discussions with different ministries and divisions, experts, stakeholders including owners of shrimp enclosures and hatcheries as well as holding workshops.
Bhuiyan said the private sector will be the driving force in the shrimp sector while the government will act as a catalyst.
A number of ministers, state ministers and secretaries concerned attended the meeting.
