Bangladesh should adopt better farming practices that prioritise agrochemical-free and sustainable methods to strengthen the fisheries and livestock sectors, experts said yesterday.
They stressed the need to change farmers' social behaviour, as many still rely heavily on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Advanced technology should be used to detect toxic substances, including antibiotics, and farmers must be made aware of their harmful effects, they added.
The statements were made at an event at the Cirdap auditorium in Dhaka, organised jointly by the Agroecology Coalition Bangladesh, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, Welthungerhilfe, and Wave Foundation.
Mamunur Rashid, project head at Welthungerhilfe Bangladesh, said, "According to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) guidelines, accelerating agrochemical-free farming practices will reduce health risks for farmers and promote agricultural development."
"More efforts are needed to convert fish and livestock waste into useful industrial resources. With proper incentives for small-scale farmers, even greater progress in these sectors is possible," he added.
During his presentation, Ahmed Borhan, research director of the Centre for Social Research, reviewed public health and environmental risks in the fisheries and livestock sector. "There is uncontrolled use of antibiotics in fisheries and livestock. In the poultry sector, more than 90 percent of farms use antibiotics indiscriminately," he said.
He also raised food safety concerns, saying, "Heavy metals, banned chemicals, and growth-promoting steroids are present in food."
Regarding environmental impact, he said, "Bangladesh's fisheries sector emits approximately 3.68 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent gases annually, 96 percent of which comes from pond-based aquaculture. The livestock sector emits 6-8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases."
On biodiversity, Borhan said, "Of the 253 species of freshwater fish in Bangladesh, 64 have been identified as endangered. Since independence, the number of marine fish species has declined from 475 to 394 over four decades."
Highlighting policy challenges, he added, "Several fundamental fisheries and livestock policies face implementation gaps, which hinder sustainable transformation."
Borhan also pointed out nutritional concerns, saying, "The emphasis on high-value export-oriented fish has caused nutritious small indigenous fish species to be neglected, contradicting national goals for nutritional security."
Furthermore, he warned about the social impacts of shrimp farming. "The expansion of shrimp farming has converted land belonging to small and marginal farmers into enclosed shrimp ponds, rendering many people landless, contrary to the poverty-reduction objectives stated in current policy," he said.
Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said most meat still comes from small local farmers. "To prevent the extinction of several native fish species, natural water bodies must be protected," she added.
She stressed that, along with regulating fishing in these areas, attention must also be given to safeguarding the environment. "The government has declared many new water bodies as sanctuaries," she noted.
In the Barind region, fish die and float to the surface of ponds due to heat caused by climate change. "This issue needs to be addressed," she said, adding that pesticides used in agriculture are also contributing to the decline of fisheries and biodiversity.
"For this reason, pesticides should not be treated solely as an agricultural issue but should also be linked to fisheries policy," she added.
She expressed concern that, as a food-producing sector, fisheries and livestock receive less policy importance than agriculture.
Jiaoqun Shi, the FAO representative in Bangladesh, said climate change is affecting fish production. "More research is needed on fish conservation. Relevant institutions need further capacity development and improved accountability," he added.
He stressed that new technologies must be used appropriately. "Cost-effective initiatives should be taken that do not harm the quality of life of stakeholders," he said.
Shakila Faruque, director general of the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, said small farmers, who play a key role in the livestock sector, are disappearing.
"Attention must be given to why this is happening. When new varieties are developed in agriculture, new diseases also emerge. Work is being done on this issue," she added.