Fish production: Cumilla ranks second in country

Raipur village of Daudkandi upazila in Cumilla is situated along the Dhaka–Chattogram highway. While travelling on this busiest highway of the country, as far as the eye can see, there is only fish farming. Commercial fish farming occupies virtually every available space in the village.

Another upazila is Chandina, and its remote village, Pihar. While travelling on the rural roads there, fish farms can be seen all around. Visiting different villages of the district reveals how far the people here have advanced in fish production. As recognition of success, many have received awards at the national level.

According to the Department of Fisheries, Cumilla ranks second among the 64 districts in the country in fish production. For a long time, more than twice the required amount of fish has been produced from this district. Not only ponds and enclosed reservoirs, Cumilla is a model in the country for floodplain fish cultivation – land that floods during the monsoon, and is used for cultivation or other purposes again in the dry season.

According to Ashok Kumar Das, Assistant Director of the District Fisheries Office, Mymensingh district ranks first in fish production. There are the Fisheries Research Institute and Agricultural University there. Any research related to fish production is applied there first, which is why Mymensingh’s production is slightly higher than Cumilla’s. Currently, 345,000 tonnes of fish are produced annually in Mymensingh. Cumilla, in second place, produces 315,000 tonnes. Jessore, third in the country, produces 248,000 tonnes. Bhola, in fourth place, produces 157,000 tonnes, and Satkhira, in fifth place, produces 156,000 tonnes.

According to those involved in fish production, the soil and water of Cumilla are naturally suitable for fish cultivation. In the rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and floodplains here, more than twice the district’s demand for fish is produced. For nearly two decades, fish resources in Cumilla have been used to increase production, create employment, and develop the rural economic infrastructure.

According to district fisheries data, fish are cultivated in all 17 upazilas of Cumilla. The annual demand for fish in the district is currently 156,000 tonnes. After meeting local demand, 159,000 tonnes of surplus fish remain. These are sent to Dhaka, Chattogram, and various parts of the country. The number of commercial fish farmers in the district is currently 45,674.

One method of fish cultivation in Bangladesh is floodplain fish farming. This method, which began in the 1980s in Cumilla, has now spread across the country. It started in Daudkandi upazila of Cumilla. Currently, fish farming is expanding widely in the floodplains of low-lying upazilas of the district. Once, these low lands would remain unused. Now, fish move in these lands for seven to eight months of the year.

Most of the cultivable land in Iliyatganj North and Iliyatganj South unions of Daudkandi upazila are lowlands. As a result, only one crop grows there annually. For seven to eight months of the year, including the monsoon, these lands remained submerged. Around 1986, several people took the initiative to cultivate fish in the idle lands under a project called Adarsha Fisheries Project in Dhanukhola village of the upazila.

Leading the effort, Sunil Kumar Roy and others utilised the submerged lands. They built embankments around 300 bighas of land and started fish cultivation, which succeeded. A portion of the profits was given to the landowners. This method of fish farming has been successful since the beginning.

Regarding this, Assistant Director Ashok Kumar Das said that Cumilla is a model for floodplain fish cultivation in the country. Although it began in Daudkandi, it later spread to surrounding upazilas and various regions of Bangladesh. Currently, besides Daudkandi, floodplain fish farming is popular in low-lying areas of Homna, Meghna, Muradnagar, Titas, Monoharganj, Nangalkot, and Chauddagram.

According to this official, in 74 floodplains covering 6,670 hectares of land in the district, fish are cultivated for seven to eight months of the year, producing 73,978 tonnes of fish. When floodwater recedes, farmers grow paddy, maize, and other crops for the remaining four to five months.

Matin Saikat, a national environment award-winning agricultural and environmental activist from Adampur village of Daudkandi, has been leading floodplain fish farming for a long time. He said that land which once remained idle most of the year now yields fish worth thousands of crores of taka each season. In Daudkandi’s Iliyatganj, Adampur, Putia, Raypur, Singgula, Lakshmipur, Suhilpur, and other villages, several fisheries projects have developed in floodplains. This has brought economic prosperity through increased income.

According to the District Fisheries Department, about 55 per cent of the fish produced here are pangash and tilapia. Among the remaining species are rui, katla, mrigel, and silver carp.

Fish farmer Zahir Rayhan of Hatirpar village in Monoharganj upazila, who has been farming fish for nearly 20 years, explained why pangash and tilapia are cultivated most. Currently, he produces at least 100 tonnes of fish annually in over 15 acres of water bodies. He said people in the Cumilla region prefer these two types of fish. Additionally, the cultivation process is easy. Pangash can be sold within six to seven months, and tilapia within three to four months.

The highest fish production in the district is in Daudkandi upazila, followed by Muradnagar and Chauddagram.

Several people from Cumilla district have received the National Fisheries (Gold) Award for their contribution to the fisheries sector. The latest to join the list is Mohammad Rahmat Ali from Singgula village in Daudkandi upazila.

Rahmat Ali told Prothom Alo that after completing higher secondary in 1998, he received training in fish farming for some time. In 2000, he started fish farming in a 30 per cent share of a pond in Raipur nearby. His capital was only Tk 5,000. Since the first year brought good profits after expenses, his confidence grew. The following year, he leased a three-acre pond and established a fishery named Rahmat Fisheries. The area of ponds and floodplains increased over time. Currently, he produces at least 2,500 tonnes of fish a year. His investment in the sector has exceeded Tk 70 million. Sixty workers are employed in his establishment.

To maintain Cumilla’s position in fish production, the District Fisheries Department has taken various initiatives. Regarding this, newly transferred District Fisheries Officer Md Belal Hossain said they regularly train and advise fish farmers. Every year, 6 to 7 tonnes of fish fry are released into water bodies. To increase fish production, sanctuaries have been established in six upazilas of the district. At least 1,500 farmers are trained annually.