Fisheries and livestock affairs adviser Farida Akhter on Saturday urged authorities and fish farmers to stop expanding aquaculture onto lands traditionally used for rice and other essential crops, warning that indiscriminate conversion of farmland would ultimately threaten food security.
鈥楳y request is very clear 鈥� do not use the areas for fish farming where rice and other food crops grow. Instead, cultivate fish in places where agricultural production is no longer possible,鈥� she said while addressing a day-long fisheries summit and expo at Rajshahi University.
Her remarks came at a time when unplanned excavation of ponds for commercial aquaculture accelerated across Rajshahi and neighbouring districts over the past two decades.
According to official data, the number of ponds in Rajshahi district rose from 40,788 in 2015 to 51,275 in 2025, a 25 per cent increase in a decade.
Farida Akhter said that Rajshahi now supplies around 40 per cent of locally farmed fish across the country, with more than 600 commercial fish farmers operating in the district.
She expressed concern over the increasing availability of unsafe fish feed and aquaculture medicine, saying contaminated inputs posed direct risks to public health.
鈥業f feed is unsafe, the fish produced is unsafe 鈥� and the health of consumers becomes vulnerable. We cannot allow such feed to enter the market,鈥� she said, calling for stronger monitoring of feed producers and tighter regulation of aquaculture drugs.
Addressing climate impacts on aquaculture, she said that rising temperatures had already caused fish deaths in several regions.
鈥楩armers must learn modern techniques to keep ponds cool and suitable for breeding during heat waves,鈥� she added.
Farida also supported the proposal for a national aquaculture policy, saying such a framework would help both farmers and regulators determine which practices were permissible.
She urged an expansion of export opportunities, particularly to countries with large Bangladeshi migrant communities, and reiterated the need to protect hilsa from over-exploitation and illegal trade.
On land management, she referred to the government鈥檚 new zoning policy, which prioritises the protection of agricultural land but recognises fish farming as part of the broader agricultural sector under specific conditions.
RU fisheries department professor Akhtar Hossain, who presented the keynote paper at the summit, said that Bangladesh鈥檚 aquaculture sector had strong potential for growth and export expansion, but fragmented systems, climate risks, and compliance gaps hinder its progress.
He emphasised a well-coordinated, multi-stakeholder network-linking government, farmers, industry, researchers, and development partners for building a sustainable, resilient, and globally competitive aquaculture system.
Chaired by fisheries faculty dean and convener of the organising committee Professor Md Mostafizur Rahman Mondol, Rajshahi divisional commissioner ANM Bazlur Rashid and fisheries department director general (in-charge) Abdur Rouf attended the event as special guests while RU vice-chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib served as chief patron.
