Where is the eye of the Ministry of Fisheries?

Pangas fish Tk 220 per kg in local market. Fish farmers of the endangered "Mixed Fish Farming" project. Where is the eye of the Ministry of Fisheries? Staff Reporter. I am talking about some joys and sorrows of fish farmers of the Mohuri Project, Fisheries Project Zone Area, Mirsarai Upazila, Chattogram District, the largest white fish production area of Bangladesh. The fish farmers of Mohuri Project, the largest white fish producing area of Bangladesh, are on the verge of disappearing. The representative of The Daily Bangla Sky spoke to one of those farmers. He is Haji Abdullah Al Mamun, proprietor of Zara Agro. Mamun bhai said, "There is no more fun in fish farming. I have been farming white fish for the last 15 years, even five years ago, 1 kg of fish was produced per kg of feed. We do mixed farming, in this mixed farming there are Tilapia, Rui, Katla, Mrigal, Minor Carp, Silver Carp, Kalibaus etc. And we supply these fish to local markets and wholesale markets in various districts of Chattogram Division, alongside district town wholesale markets of Sylhet Division. The sad thing is, even five years ago the price of feed was below Tk 40 per kg. Now it is almost double. In September 2026 alone, in two phases, the price of feed per kg increased by Tk 6. Fish feeds in our area come from Jessore or Gazipur. Although there are two or three factories in Chattogram, they cannot supply feed to the Mohuri Project Zone area. So feeds of various companies from Gazipur, Rangpur, Jessore come loaded in trucks. In the meantime, due to the increase in fuel oil price by Tk 20 per litre, our food-carrying charge has increased. On the other hand, the price of feed has increased by Tk 6 per kg in two phases in one month. Moreover, the FCR of feed is not like before. Where earlier FCR was 1:1, now even after crossing 2.2, 1 kg of fish production is not possible. That is, the feed does not contain protein in the right proportion." This was the complaint of Haji Abdullah Al Mamun Bhai, proprietor of Zara Agro. Not only that, the representative of The Daily Bangla Sky spoke to big fish farmers of the Mayuri Project area, who farm from 30 acres to 80 acres, one of them is Firoz Bhai. He says, "Why won't pangas fish be Tk 220 per kg in the retail market? It costs more than Tk 200 to produce 1 kg of pangas fish. That is sold at the wholesale market. Then it is supposed to be Tk 250. We are not getting balanced protein in feed. So the growth of fish is not happening properly. So the price will increase. The common people are facing this loss." We spoke with Musa Bhai of Tekerhat, he says "I will quit fish farming. Because I have bank loans, moreover if I pay advance money to the feed company, it supplies feed after 15 days. Again, the maximum expiry of all these feeds is one month. If I buy feed and stock it in the godown and don't feed it within a month, then it will be expired. So even after advancing money I am not getting feed in 15 days. On one side the oil price increase, the wages of day laborers who work are higher, the price of necessary medicines required for fish farming has increased, combining everything, there is just no work, so I farm. Not in hope of business. For the last three years I have only been incurring losses. I was better before this." The representative spoke with Tuhin Bhai, proprietor of Maimuna Agro, fish farmer of Char Khandaker, Ekram Veri, Abullar Char area of Sonagazi Upazila, Feni District. He says "I have learned fish farming, how to grow fish. I have not learned any other work, I have learned this business, so I have to do it. Sometimes floods wash away 5/10 acres. A pond contains fish worth several crores of taka. Sometimes due to extreme drought, virus in the sun, fish worth Tk 20 to 30 lakh die in one day. There is no one to see. On the other hand, as the price of feed in 2026 has increased by six taka per kg in two phases, the current price of feed and the FCR of 1 kg fish production has no match. On the other hand, there is a ministry of the Bangladesh government, the Ministry of Fisheries. The ministry has no attention towards us. Yet this suffering is not of two or four farmers. It is the Mohuri Project Market of Mirsarai Upazila, Chattogram District, that is, it is called Mohuri Project Zone. Here, mixed white fish farming is done across several thousand acres. And this fish is exported to Chattogram Division, part of Sylhet Division and even abroad. Qualified fish. Along with that, the full demand for protein is met. It is said that pangas is the hilsa of the poor, yet this pangas fish is now Tk 220 per kg. Panic fire in the eyes of buyers. How will they meet the protein needs of their families. Yet there is a machinery of the Government of Bangladesh called the Ministry of Fisheries. There are many types of fish feed companies in the market such as CP, Nahar, ACI, Happy, Confidence, Quality, Hait, etc., which supply fish feed truck by truck to the Mohuri Project Market area, there is hardly anyone to monitor them. Because there is no lab in Mirsarai Upazila to test the FCR of fish feed. Although there is a Fisheries Officer, he remains busy with his official work. Therefore, through The Daily Bangla Sky, drawing the attention of the Ministry of Fisheries and the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, we say. The largest white fish, mixed fisheries project in Bangladesh, Mirsarai Upazila of Chattogram District, Mohuri Project Market, that is, Mohuri Project Fisheries Zone. By giving a favorable view to this area, encouraging fish farmers, and if necessary, by arranging incentives for them, they should be encouraged to farm fish. Otherwise, at some point, Rui, Katla, Mrigal, Brighead, Grass Carp, Tilapia in the market will become scarce. Because farmers are now almost extinct. In this regard, we went to discuss with the Upazila Fisheries Officer but unfortunately, the representative of The Daily Bangla Sky newspaper did not get an appointment. If fish production increases, people's protein needs will be met. Disease resistance will increase, and if production stops, it will never be possible to meet it with only river and sea fish. The Daily Bangla Sky thinks. Behind the joys and sorrows of farmers, there are some more things left. They are not only in this crisis of increased prices, increased day laborer prices, fish production, alongside these, they are victims of looting, theft, forcible occupation, extortion, all these misdeeds. So almost every fish farmer says the same thing, brother, there is no profit in fish farming. They can neither say it, nor can they do it. The fish farmers are drawing the attention and requesting the Honorable Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. There is a ministry called the Ministry of Fisheries in Bangladesh and along with one honorable minister there are many secretaries, bureaucrats, you should at least give a favorable look towards the fish farmers of Mohuri Project Zone, Mohuri Project area, Mirsarai Upazila, Chattogram District, to save the fisheries industry, to save this production-oriented fisheries industry.