Raise fish production, ensure food safety: Minister

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Amin Ur Rashid on Sunday called for increased fish production to meet rising consumer demand while ensuring food safety and quality.

Speaking at “Aquaculture Knowledge Day 2026” in Dhaka, he urged researchers, scientists and entrepreneurs to work together to promote sustainable production, ensure safe food supplies and strengthen the competitiveness of Bangladesh’s agricultural and fisheries products in international markets.

The event was organised by Fishtech BD Limited at Hotel Sarina in the capital’s Banani. Highlighting the country’s changing agricultural landscape, Amin Ur Rashid said Bangladesh had largely overcome major food production shortages, but maintaining food quality and safety remained a significant challenge.

He said producing high-quality, safe food would be essential for Bangladesh to advance its economy through agricultural exports.

“Nearly 75 per cent of the country’s population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. Empowering this large segment economically will help strengthen the national economy on a permanent basis,” the minister said.

He said agricultural growth should focus on two key objectives: Meeting domestic demand and securing a strong position in global markets.

Addressing researchers and scientists, the minister called for greater emphasis on natural and sustainable solutions and urged efforts to reduce dependence on antibiotics, vaccines and other potentially harmful inputs in food production.

“Consumers now demand safe, healthy and quality food. No production method should be adopted if it poses long-term health risks to people,” he said.

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to reducing the use of harmful pesticides, saying excessive chemical use was damaging soil, water, air and public health. He added that the government had already initiated measures to address soil and water pollution.

Expressing concern over rising levels of heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, in soil and water and their recent detection in rice, he said research had been launched to identify the sources of contamination. The investigation would examine whether the pollutants originate from soil, groundwater, fertilisers or pesticides.