Livelihood Security: Implications from Aquaculture Sectors

Abstract

Both aquaculture and fisheries have long been an integral part of life of the people of Bangladesh. The sector, second only to agriculture in the overall economy of Bangladesh, contribute nearly 4.5 % to the gross domestic product (GDP), 23 % of gross agriculture products and 2.46 % to the total export earnings. It accounts for about 60 % of animal protein intake in the diet of the people of Bangladesh with per capita fish consumption of 18.94 kg per annum. The people of Bangladesh largely depend on fish to meet their protein needs in both the rural and urban areas. In Bangladesh, to date about 20 finfish and a several crustacean species have been domesticated, their breeding and rearing protocols have been developed and now under nation-wide aquaculture. In addition to 1.32 million full time fishers, 14.7 million people have been involved in aquaculture in Bangladesh including fish farmers and prawn/shrimp farmers. The value chain from pond/farm to plate/fork and beyond the chain includes hundreds of stakeholders, whose livelihood fully depends on aquaculture. The major stakeholders include fish farmer, prawn/shrimp farmer, hatchery owner, nurserer, farm/hatchery technicians/workers, input (feed ingredient, fertilizer, hormone, chemical, instrument etc.) importers/suppliers, feed mill owners, homestead feed producer, fisher, fish processor, fish transporter, wholesaler, exporter, retailer, consumer, technology provider (government and non-government) and many more. Aquaculture has increasingly been playing a major role in total fish production (3.26 million tons) of the country and presently more than half of the total production (52.92 %) comes from aquaculture (1.73 million tons). The sector provides living and livelihood for more than 11 % people of the country. If the available resource are used sustainably with proper technological assistance, fish produced from aquaculture would efficiently meet the protein demand of growing population of the country, and will ensure, food and nutritional security, employment generation and foreign exchange earning leading to shaping a Bangladesh free of hunger, malnutrition and poverty.