None given go-ahead for artificial or indoor hilsa farming: ministry

The interim government has not given any approval to any individual or organisation for hilsa farming using the recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) or any other artificial or indoor methods, the fisheries ministry said in a statement today.

Any research, experimental projects, or technological initiatives involving hilsa must comply with existing laws and regulations, serve national interests, and receive prior approval from the relevant government authorities, it said.

Recently, reports about indoor or artificial-environment hilsa farming have circulated in newspapers, online news platforms, and social media. In response, the ministry has carefully reviewed the matter, the statement read.

Hilsa is a vital GI (Geographical Indication) product of Bangladesh and is closely linked with the country’s rivers and coastal ecosystems, food security, cultural heritage, and the livelihoods of countless fishermen and communities dependent on fisheries, it mentioned.

Since hilsa production relies on natural breeding cycles and river-based ecosystems, any initiatives in this area are highly sensitive and require strict policy oversight, it added.

Habiganj Agro Limited, a sister concern of PRAN-RFL Group, has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Denmark’s Assentoft Aqua to establish an indoor, fully controlled intensive fish farming facility in Bangladesh using RAS technology.

RAS technology treats and reuses water through filtration, enabling high-density fish production with minimal environmental impact.