It is well recognized that Bangladesh has been vigorously executing large scale development projects to maintain its phenomenal growth rate of 8.2%. What is less known is that its small scale sector has not been neglected and that this sector is also pulling itself by the bootstraps to be a major player in the country’s economic development.
Bangladesh’s fishery sector has proved that poverty reduction and rural development are possible without major development plans and infrastructure projects, writes Iftekhar Mahmud in Prothom Alo quoting researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Creative initiatives of small farmers, government’s supportive policy and the innovation of scientists are key reasons behind the success of the fisheries sector, Mahmud says succinctly.
Bangladesh is now the fifth biggest aquaculture producer in the world, says an FAO report titled The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018.
According to a series of studies conducted by the IFPRI, Bangladesh is leading the world in growing fish in ponds. In fact, 56% of the fish harvested in Bangladesh are grown in ponds. IFPRI calls it Blue Revolution’.