The expansion of the country’s maritime economy sector or Blue Economy requires planned public-private joint ventures as well as planned investments. In this case, a special marine plan should be formulated as well as the use of modern technology should be ensured. The speakers made the remarks at a webinar titled ‘Blue Economy: Realizing the Potential of Marine Fishing in Bangladesh’ organized by the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and Bangladesh Centre of Excellence (BCE) on Thursday (11 November).
Planning Minister M A Mannan was the chief guest at the webinar presided over by Chamber President Mahbubul Alam. Also present were Vice Admiral (Retd.) Zahir Uddin Ahmed, First Vice President of Bangladesh Marine Fisher’s Association, Additional Director General (ADG) and Project Director (Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries Project), Fisheries Department Kh. Mahbubul Haque, Managing Director of Deep Sea Fishers Enam Chowdhury, and Associate Professor at the Institute of Marine Science, Chattogram University Dr. M Shah Newaz Chowdhury.
Speaking as the chief guest, Planning Minister M A Mannan said the acquired maritime boundary has many natural resources including fish, gas, oil, and minerals. The use of modern technology, research, data collection, and investment can play a very important role in the proper extraction of these resources. In this case, it is possible to achieve the desired goal through coordination between the public and private sectors. The government is ready to provide all kinds of assistance for the development of the private sector.
CCCI President Mahbubul Alam said Bangladesh has great potential in the blue economy. Sustainable growth will be achieved by encouraging the increase of private investment, creating more jobs through public-private partnership, providing planned investment and policy support in the marine fishing sector, use of advanced technology, and increasing fish exports.
Vice Admiral (Retd.) Zahir Uddin Ahmed said research activities must be continued throughout the year to catch fish in the deep sea. If these activities are conducted through a government initiative, it can be helpful in the case of private investment.
ADG and Project Director Kh. Mahbubul Haque said a center was being set up in Patenga to monitor maritime economic activities. About 30 percent of the fish caught from the sea is wasted, and this requires effective conservation measures.
Enam Chowdhury, managing director of Deep Sea Fishers, said that a ship has to be ‘rebuilt’ when its lifetime is up. But there is a lack of skilled manpower. He proposed to form a forum with the participation of government and non-government representatives for the development of the sector and offer regular information and exchange of views.
Chittagong University Associate Professor Dr. M Shah Newaz Chowdhury said that the contribution of the marine fisheries sector to GDP is 3.5%. To get the benefits of this, various studies are being conducted officially. This requires increasing the use of modern technology and formulating a special marine plan.
