The Maheshkhali Integrated Development Authority (MIDA) today convened a high-level stakeholder consultation with key officials from government agencies involved in Bangladesh鈥檚 Blue Economy sector.
Chaired by MIDA executive chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, the meeting focused on an integrated action plan to advance deep-sea fishing, mariculture, 100 per cent export-oriented seafood processing, aquaculture, and marine fisheries research in Bangladesh鈥檚 maritime area and beyond.
MIDA executive member Commodore Tanzim Faruq presented the detailed framework, outlining regulatory, logistical, and investment measures. MIDA executive member Md Sarowar Alam stressed the urgency of timely policy reforms to unlock opportunities in this high-growth sector.
鈥業t is a universally accepted view that Maheshkhali holds immense potential, particularly due to its strategic geographic location. It is receiving due importance now as a national priority and this will continue in the future. Following consultations with the Honorable Chief Adviser, we have added聽
deep-sea fishing as the fourth pillar-alongside industrialization, energy hub development, and deep-sea port,鈥� said Ashik Chowdhury.
He said MIDA has been created to coordinate and catalyze these developments, but the engine will be the ministries and agencies driving this mother sector.
鈥楾oday we focused on concrete actions-facilitating anchor investors and building an investment eco-system for specific sub-sectors within Blue Economy,鈥� he added
Senior officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, and the Cox鈥檚 Bazar District Administration joined the session at BIDA鈥檚 Conference Room.
Participants outlined the policy, infrastructure, and investment requirements necessary to fast-track growth in the sector.
MIDA will consolidate today鈥檚 outcomes into an integrated implementation roadmap, to be advanced through regular coordination with all relevant stakeholders.
