Local marine fisheries sector is now in deep trouble due to the recent price hike of fuel oils in the country, according to the sector insiders.
They requested the government to provide diesel at previous prices for survival of the sector.
The Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association (BMFA) recently urged the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to take necessary steps to overcome the situation.
An official concerned said, "We have received the letter and are working on it."
The association, in its letter, said the price of diesel was increased by 42 per cent. The sector operators are now at stake, as their fuel cost nearly doubled in the last eight months.
The main costs of the sector are fuel, maintenance and wages of mariners. Diesel is the main source of fuel for operating fishing trawlers and vessels. Some 70 per cent money, needed for operating a vessel, is spent to buy fuel oil, according to the BMFA.
Besides, the amounts involving bank loans and interests along with wages and allowances of the sector are gradually increasing. But, the prices of fishes, collected by vessels or trawlers, are not increasing as a desired level.
The BMFA claimed that the prices of local sea fishes significantly dropped due to import of such fishes. Substandard and low-quality sea fishes were imported, although the country was self sufficient in fish production.
The association feared that the sector would be closed down and a huge number of people involved with it would be unemployed and would turn into loan defaulters, if the present situation continues.
The marine fisheries sector collected 0.65 million tonnes of sea fishes in last fiscal year to meet local protein demand. Its contribution was about 3.52 per cent and 26.37 per cent to the national GDP and agriculture sector respectively.
The BMFA members take licence and registration from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and from the Ministry of Shipping respectively for their fishing vessels.
Currently, some 80 member firms of the BMFA are catching fishes and shrimps from the deep sea with 200 vessels.
