Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid on Monday said the world is now facing a bigger demand for safe and quality food rather than a shortage of food, stressing the need to ensure safe and quality fish production in Bangladesh.

The minister was speaking as chief guest at a seminar styled "Fisheries Resources in Building a Self-Reliant Bangladesh: Present Context and Future Tasks," organised by the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council.

He said quality control and prescribed standards must be strictly maintained at every stage of fish production to boost exports.

"We have to determine our course of action keeping in mind the current problems facing the fisheries sector, future prospects, people's demand, and the international market's need for quality fish," the minister said. "If we can identify the problems and resolve them on a priority basis, rapid progress is possible."

The minister said adequate sanctuaries must be ensured for fish to boost their natural breeding and production, adding that the government has already taken various initiatives in this regard and begun work on fish conservation.

He said excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers in agriculture, along with various environmental pressures, is hampering the natural production and breeding of fish, calling for a shift towards eco-friendly and modern production methods to overcome the problem.

Aminur also called for tapping the opportunity to produce more fish using modern technology in limited spaces.

Highlighting the potential of Bangladesh's fisheries products in the international market, the minister said the country's freshwater fish have a large market among expatriate Bangladeshis living in various countries, and exports could be boosted by tapping into their demand.

However, he said, earning foreign currency from the international market would require producing fish according to the preferences and demand of the people in the importing countries, not just fish consumed by Bangladeshis.

Referring to the export potential of shrimp, crab, eel and other aquatic animals, he said fry and breeding systems need to be developed alongside production in these areas, adding that production and exports in this sector could be multiplied manifold if fry could be artificially produced and reared using modern technology.

Stressing coordination among quality fish production, food safety, environmental protection, modern technology, research and international market demand, the minister said effective advice from relevant scientists, researchers and professionals in these areas would help the government.

Speaking as special guest, Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salauddin Tuku, said a favourable environment for the growth and breeding of fish must be ensured to increase fish production.

He said the natural movement and breeding grounds of fish are being disrupted due to encroachment on rivers and canals, navigability crises, and water pollution from industrial waste.

Tuku said restoring the navigability of rivers and canals and re-establishing the connection between rivers and canals are essential to bring back fish habitats.

He recalled that President Ziaur Rahman had taken initiatives to restore river navigability and re-excavate canals, and after a long hiatus, incumbent Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has again taken up initiatives to re-excavate canals and rivers.

Excavation work has already been carried out in various areas, and if the plan to re-excavate around 20,000 kilometres of canals and rivers is implemented, it will create a favourable environment for fish breeding and movement, he added.

Expressing concern over the unregulated use of antibiotics in fish farming, the state minister said their unnecessary use is causing economic losses to farmers on one hand and putting food safety at risk on the other.

Tuku said district-level seminars and workshops would be organised to raise awareness among farmers in this regard.

BFRI senior scientific officer Dr Md Mashiur Rahman presented the keynote paper at the seminar.