Marine Shrimp Farming in Bangladesh - Essay Example

Shrimp Farming in Bangladesh By Professor Class University City Date of submission Introduction The readymade garments sector is the leading export earner for Bangladesh while the second is the frozen food export sector whose main item is shrimp. Since the mid-1980s, shrimp farming has been the major contributor to the country’s economy. Moreover, shrimp farming provides several of opportunities to the ever-growing population like employment and contributing more than US$445 million per year. Even with such benefits, it faces several challenges associated with environmental degradation and social impacts that bar the development of shrimp farming sector. Besides, the growth of the sector contribute to deterioration of socioeconomic benefits like displacement of traditional livelihood, loss of land security, increased food insecurity, community marginalization, unemployment in rural areas, and social unrest. The environmental impacts include degradation of mangroves, biodiversity loss, increased sedimentation, salt-water intrusion, pollution and associated diseases are the major obstacles barring the development of the sector. Due to advantages associated with shrimp farming like enhanced land use practices, protein production, and export earnings, the farming is the fastest growing fisheries industries in Bangladesh. Within the global market, shrimp is one of the most important commodities. Moreover, the sector commands the leading positions within the global market with the increment in demand and prices that are competitive internationally. Since the realization of its potential in the global market, shrimp farming offered huge immediate economic returns, which contributed to its booming expansion to become a multi-million dollar industry. However, factors such as unfavourable weather conditions and inadequate space, the practice developed with the tropical low lands with Asian continent producing about 72%. In 1988, the export of frozen shrimp in Bangladesh was 15,023 tonnes. Nevertheless, two decades later, the amount exported tripled to 49,907 tonnes. In Bangladesh, shrimp farming plays an important role in generating foreign exchange due to its high profitability, hence one of the major economic driving forces. However, due to poor planning, management, and inappropriate regulations, several environment and social conflicts occurred in the south-western region of Bangladesh. The major issue associated with object of the farming practice is the decline for land available for crop production. Viewpoint of the village elder whose people may be severely affected by the industry Although shrimp farming offers several opportunities for the country, it also has some detrimental effects that might affect the entire economy. Growth in the sector means the destruction of the sensitive ecological niche globally, mangrove. The mangrove along the coastal areas of Bangladesh play an important role in protecting the coastal areas from the surging storms that might lead to lose of lives and destruction of properties. There are several impacts associated with shrimp farming as well including exposure to chemicals, antibiotics, and other potentially hazardous materials from the wastewater and sludge. Besides, pollution of freshwater wells and aquifers from shrimp farming has severe consequential effects on the people: it influences the supply of food and subsistence economies. The intrusion of the saltwater and contamination of the underground systems and agricultural areas degrades the supply of quality and freshwater and soils for agricultural production. Increased shrimp farming rises the amount of wastes dumped in the water, which increase salinity, and sediments that accumulate in shrimp ponds. These sediments reduce the depth of the ponds making the coastal areas vulnerable to flooding activities and associated side effects. To some extent, the overexploitation of underground water often leads to problems like the deficiency in the available land since some ponds sink up to six feet deep. Each country requires diversification of economic activities to cope with the ever-changing health demands. Bangladesh once produced rice that could feed thousands of families. Such practices changed, as most people tend to embrace shrimp farming owing to its profitability. Money and resources that the state might have utilized in developing sound fish aquaculture and feeding the increasing number of people exposed to hunger within the local markets instead of focusing on the mechanism, of expanding shrimp farming for export markets. Besides, focusing much on shrimp farming reduces the number of jobs available for the rising population, which makes them vulnerable to immoral activities. Viewpoint from a marine shrimp exporter To the exporters of shrimps, the increasing demands and markets for their products are the major contributing to increased potential and commitment in production. Currently, a great population of people in Bangladesh are unemployed. Moreover, the unfavourable markets for most products are forcing most people to shift to shrimp farming whose demand and returns on the global market is on the rise. With the tough economic times, the country is straining its resources aiming to meet the global development states recognized across the globe for producing shrimps. Given such opportunity, the shrimp exporters in the country might be the breakthrough of ensuring the country ranks top in shrimp production. The expanding market and competitive prices foe shrimps are the major factors attracting most people to the industry (Masum, 2008, par. 7). Besides, the country enjoys a huge vast of land along the coastal areas convenient for shrimp farming. Bangladesh is a developing country according to the studies conducted by the World Bank. Focusing on shrimp farming at global scale would help the country earn foreign exchange required to develop the country’s economy and creating more jobs for the growing economy. Moreover, the sector will become more attractive to international businesses with interest in fish farming. Exporting shrimps mean increment adequate satisfaction of the local communities with food. As a source of food, shrimp farming is crucial in ensuring the growth of a health society, more energetic, and development oriented. The global market for shrimps offers an opportunity for Bangladesh to create a good political partnership with other countries as a means of fostering international integration. For many years, Bangladesh has been producing rice and exporting to other countries. Hence, exporting shrimps offered the country a chance to dispose its surplus and earn foreign exchange. Viewpoint from a politician Several politicians and activists in Bangladesh, especially in the south-western region, have been advocating ending saline shrimp farming claiming that the practice encourages lawlessness, terrorism, environmental degradation, and landing grabbing substantially. The landless activists in the region claim that shrimp farming generates black money since the proprietors use people with muscles, political, and administrative influence for hefty profits. Those that oppose the practice often remember the predicaments that befell Karunamayee Sardar, who was the first victim of the movement opposing the shrimp farming known as Harinkhola. Besides, most fishermen in Bangladesh claim that shrimp farms are flooding their waters with salt that reduces the amount of fresh water fish they catch. According to Mohammed Sayedul Hogue, Fisheries and Livestock Minister, there is need for an updated code of conduct (CoC) for shrimp industry in the country. The minister underscored the significance of introducing and implementing the codes as per globally recognised standards to ensure quality and safety within the country. Furthermore, the Minister reiterated the commitment of the state to expand the level of assistance to the industry as one of the contributors of the country’s GDP. Such activities and government’s commitment aim to boost the level of confidence of global buyers and local consumers of shrimps from Bangladesh. To prevent overexploitation of the locals engaged in shrimp farming, the minister reiterated that there are adequate treaties signed with major trade blocks and trading partners. Currently, there is widespread of shrimp cultivation all over the coast of Bangladesh with different species on the ponds. As natural resources, the minister claimed that there are mechanisms in place to ensure sustainable exploitation of shrimps. Besides, people living around the coastal regions have no ability to control the rapid expansion of shrimp farming, which calls for government’s interventions in ensuring that these activities are sustainable. Conclusion and recommendation In Bangladesh, shrimp is the second largest export product and plays an important role in ensuring the national development of the economy. Although shrimp farming creates temporary employment to most people, its destruction cost is more than the benefits from the returns. Some of the environmental impacts associated with shrimp farming are mangrove clearance, conversion of agricultural lands into shrimp ponds, reduction for fish caught, pollution, and associated diseases. Moreover, salinization of ground, portable, and agricultural water are also some of the environmental and social impacts. Other social problems include displacement of marginalized communities along the coastal regions, loss of land and food security, rural unemployment, social unrest, and conflicts. However, shrimp farming has enabled most farmers to meet their desired needs at the expense of environmental degradation. Shrimp farming is not sustainable especially with the poor planning and management processes put across by the government. With the increasing impacts on the environment, most researchers have been able to study the whole industry with an aim of improving shrimp farming and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the practice. Therefore, it is important to have proper management and planning models that would ensure sustainable growth of shrimp farming sector. With all these factors in place, Bangladesh should consider the following recommendations to protect and manage the environmental effects associated with shrimp farming: Establishing procedures of conducting environmental impact assessment (EIA) and standards methods of monitoring the shrimp farming activities to reduce the adverse environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with extraction of water, land use changes, waste discharge, and other chemical products used in the ponds. The country needs to focus on coastal zoning, which includes improving the land use planning, minimizing conflicts associated with land tenure, and identifying proper locations, and restrict them for shrimp farming to prevent contamination of water consumed by people. There is need to engage all the stakeholders through dialogue while establishing the policies to integrate their views. As a result, there will be sustainability and social equity in shrimp farming. Reference Masum, S. J. (2008, December). Working Together for Responsible & Eco-friendly Shrimp Farming In Bangladesh. Retrieved from; http://www.cdpbd.org/images/files/Working%20together%20for%20eco- friendly%20responsible%20shrimp%20farming.pdf Read More