Jatka Conservation Week starts

Government is distributing food grains among poor to prevent themselves from catching jatka

‘Jatka Conservation Week 2016’ started yesterday across the country aiming to mobilise people to conserve jatka ((hilsa fish less than 10 inches long) to boost hilsa production.
The Department of Fisheries has chalked out various programmes at upazila and district levels in the country’s coastal regions marking the week with a theme 'Let Jatka Grow up: Our Golden Days to Come Back'.
"The Jatka Conservation Week started from Ramgati upazila in Laxmipur through a boat rally," Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque told reporters at a press conference held in the capital’s Matsya Bhaban yesterday. He said about 11 percent of the country's fish output come from hilsa, which contributes to one percent of total GDP. About five lakh people of fishermen community are directly dependent on hilsa fishing, while about 25 lakh people are engaged on its selling, processing and transportation, the fisheries and livestock minister said.
Because of taking various steps to conserve hilsa, he said, adding that its production goes up 3.87 lakh metric tonnes in fiscal 2014-15 years and a huge quantity of hilsa was caught from the rivers in the southern regions of the country during January and February last.
As the fishermen in the country’s coastal areas are very poor, the government is distributing food grains among them to prevent themselves from catching jatka, Sayedul Hoque told reporters.
The minister further said about 1.59 lakh metric tonnes of food grains were distributed among the fishermen’s families during the last six years under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) Programme.
The minister urged all to come forward to stop jatka catching, processing and selling for the sake of national interest.
He also urged them to help the government in boosting hilsa production in the country.

Jatka Conservation Week starts

Government is distributing food grains among poor to prevent themselves from catching jatka

Jatka Conservation Week 2016 started yesterday across the country aiming to mobilise people to conserve jatka ((hilsa fish less than 10 inches long) to boost hilsa production. The Department of Fisheries has chalked out various programmes at upazila and district levels in the countrys coastal regions marking the week with a theme Let Jatka Grow up: Our Golden Days to Come Back. The Jatka Conservation Week started from Ramgati upazila in Laxmipur through a boat rally, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque told reporters at a press conference held in the capitals Matsya Bhaban yesterday. He said about 11 percent of the countrys fish output come from hilsa, which contributes to one percent of total GDP. About five lakh people of fishermen community are directly dependent on hilsa fishing, while about 25 lakh people are engaged on its selling, processing and transportation, the fisheries and livestock minister said. Because of taking various steps to conserve hilsa, he said, adding that its production goes up 3.87 lakh metric tonnes in fiscal 2014-15 years and a huge quantity of hilsa was caught from the rivers in the southern regions of the country during January and February last. As the fishermen in the countrys coastal areas are very poor, the government is distributing food grains among them to prevent themselves from catching jatka, Sayedul Hoque told reporters. The minister further said about 1.59 lakh metric tonnes of food grains were distributed among the fishermens families during the last six years under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) Programme. The minister urged all to come forward to stop jatka catching, processing and selling for the sake of national interest. He also urged them to help the government in boosting hilsa production in the country.