Cox's Bazar:State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salahuddin Tuku announced that the development of a modern fish landing centre is set to enhance fish landing, preservation, management, and marketing systems in Bangladesh.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the minister highlighted that the new facility would help fishermen secure fair prices for their catches and significantly improve post-harvest management. The announcement was made during his inspection of the construction work for the project, titled 'Improvement of Fish Landing Centre of Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation in Cox's Bazar District.' This project is being carried out by the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC).
The state minister emphasized the importance of completing the project, which is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), on time and with high-quality standards. During his visit, officials provided updates on the project's progress, implementation activities, and initiatives aimed at modernizing the centre.
Officials present during the visit included Manager Hazui and Ikeda of the Japanese contractor JDC-Konoike Joint Venture, BFDC Cox's Bazar Manager Habibul Islam, Deputy Project Director Swaeb Saleheen, and other representatives from JICA and BFDC.
The project, estimated to cost Tk 232.83 crore, is scheduled to run from January 2024 to December 2027. Upon completion, the Cox's Bazar Fish Landing Centre's annual fish landing capacity is expected to double from 7,000 metric tonnes to 14,000 metric tonnes. Additionally, its annual ice production capacity is set to increase from 5,000 metric tonnes to 7,500 metric tonnes. The project also plans to introduce berthing facilities for 40 more fishing boats daily and aims to reduce the waiting time for unloading fish from trawlers by approximately two hours.