The government has taken initiative to sell Hilsha fish at lower prices under the “Selling Hilsha Fishes at Fair Price Programme“ aiming to make the national fishes available for the common people. It will be sold at Taka 600, per kg, under the programme.
“Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) and Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association (BMFA), a non-government outfit, are working jointly to implement the programme”, said an official release here today.
Earlier, fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhter inaugurated the programme as the chief guest while attending in Hilsha or Ilish (in bengali) selling in lower price held in front of BFDC Bhaban at city’s Kawran Bazar on Sunday.
“The government is trying to keep price of the fish within the purchasing capacity of the people so that the common people can afford it. It is a very small initiative and I know all of you would not be pleased with it and we will try to do more for the people”, said the adviser while inaugurating the programme.
The slogan of the programme is “Be blessed by purchasing Ilish which is incomparable in taste and aroma” (Swade- Gondhe Atulonio Illish Kine Hon Dhonnyo).
The Ilish price is possible to reduce if the monopoly of the middlemen eliminate from the market, she said, adding that so it is difficult to reduce the price of other fishes including Ilish under the existing marketing system.
But we want to probe that the price of the King fish can be sold at discount rate if we can bring it directly at the selling point from the source of origin, she added.
“We want to start a process of elimination of middlemen chain from the market”, Farida mentioned.
With BFDC Chairman Surayya Akhtar Jahan in the chair, the programme also was attended, among others, by BMFA’s president Enam Chowdhury, additional secretary of the ministry of fisheries and livestock Syeda Nawara Jahan, BFDC’s director Adiyto Chandra Das, deputy director of fisheries and livestock information department Umme Habiba, BMFA’s director Taisir Khan, BMFA’s secretary Abid Hossen and Fish Farm Owners Association (FOAB)’s president Molla Shamsur Rahman Shahin.
