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5. Socio-economic benefits


5.1 Employment
5.2 Nutritional benefits

5.1 Employment

Aquaculture employs a large number of people, either as pond owners, workers on the culture operations or on activities directly or indirectly supporting aquafarming. Data on the number employed in aquaculture activities and aquaculture-related activities are surprisingly scant. An attempt has been made in this report to arrive at indications on employment data in various aquaculture related activities based on other statistical reports.

5.1.1 Pond/farm operators

a. According to DOF (1986), 46.5 percent or 604,500 ponds out of 1.3 million. ponds are under fish culture. Assigning one owner to one pond (in fact, a number of ponds have more than one owner) 604,500 pond owners are directly involved in fish culture.

b. In the shrimp sector, there were an estimated 22,000 Galda farms in 1994 (Karim 1995) and 8,770 Bagda farms in 1993 (Karim 1994). Normally a Galda farm is jointly owned and operated by 1-3 persons. On this basis, 44,000 persons could claim to be owners of Galda farms.

c. In the case of brackishwater aquaculture, each farm normally has 2-5 owners. If 3 is taken as the average number, there are then 26,310 farm owners. Baors are normally leased by fisherpersons’ societies. Assuming that each society consists of 20 members, 100 baors are then owned by 2,000 members.

d. Disregarding pen culture which is at its initial stage of development, at least 676,810 pond and farm operators are provided with 7-12 months of employment by aquaculture. This accounts for a minimum of 4,737,670 manmonths (mm) of employment.

5.1.2 Pond/farm workers

a. It is assumed that on the average each pond requires 2 mm of extra labour in connection with pond repair, pre-stocking preparations, weekly manuring, periodic netting and other operations. This accounts for 1,209,000 mm of employment not taking into consideration the labour employed in 53.5 percent of the ponds which remain unstocked.

b. Each Galda farm requires 2 mm of extra labour, which means that 44,000 mm are required for pond repair, pre-stocking pond preparations, daily processing of snail, weekly manuring and fertilisation, periodic harvesting of shrimp and fish, among other activities. Baors require 4 mm of labour for every 4 ha, thus providing 5,500 mm of employment to stock fish, feed, place brush piles, watch over the fish stock, repair nets.

c. In the case of brackishwater shrimp culture, assigning 1 person/ha for 8 mm could be justified; on this basis, 125,000 ha of improved extensive farm (1993-94 statistics) employ 125,000 workers each for 8 mm; this accounts for 1,000,000 mm. Taken together, the employment adds up to 2,324,500 mm.

5.1.3 Hatchery workers

There are 541 hatcheries (439 private and 102 Government fish hatcheries) (DOF, 1994) which employ 2,700 workers. The 100 shrimp hatcheries employ 100 full time workers. The hatchery sector thus accounts for 33,600 mm.

5.1.4 Wild hatchling and fry collectors

a. DOF (1993-94) reports that 1,900 persons are engaged in carp spawn collection at 52 centres in 12 districts. The collection mostly lasts for about one month in June-July, According to a field study conducted through the second ADP, there were in 1983 154,000 shrimp fry collectors, 99,000 of whom were men and 55,000 women, in Sathkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat and Cox’s Bazar. In recent years, shrimp fry collectors undertake their collection activities almost year-round but more actively for six months. On this basis, Bagda shrimp fry collection provides for a minimum of 924,000 manmonths of employment.

b. This estimate does not include fry collection activities in Patuakhali, Barguna and Noakhali districts where fry collection has expanded substantially in recent years. The 13,000 ha of Galda farms are stocked with about 130 million fingerlings and fry of which at least 125 million fry and fingerling are collected from the wild. For this, an estimated 8,000 persons work for nearly 3 months, equivalent to 24,000 mm of work.

5.1.5 Fry transporters and traders

a. A large number of people are engaged in fish fry transportation and marketing As mentioned earlier, the production of carp hatchling is over 78,400 kg which (Fish Fortnight,1993 supplement, Fisheries Department) should normally produce 15,680 million fry of 5-7 cm size. Assuming that one fry trader, placed at the end of the marketing chain, handles 0.3 million fry during 4 months of the fry season, 156,800 persons are then involved in fish fry marketing and transportation. This is equivalent to 627,200 mm of employment.

b. In the case of marine shrimp fry transportation and marketing, an individual transporter is unlikely to be able to transport and supply more than 30,000 fry during one tidal cycle or 60,000 per month. In 6 months time or from January-May, one person possibly supplies an average 360,000 fry. In the brackishwater sector, the fry traders handle an estimated 3600-3900 million fry each year. (Karim and Aftabuzzaman, 1995). Thus, about 10,000 people are possibly engaged in Bagda shrimp transportation and marketing accounting for 60,000 mm of employment.

c. For Galda farming in about 13,000 ha of pond area, an estimated 130-135 million fingerlings and fry are handled through 1,300 fry traders and transporters. They remain active in this activity for 4 months, which is equivalent to about 5,200 mm of employment in the Galda fingerling and fry trading and transportation activities. Taking Bagda and Galda together, they provide 65,200 mm of employment.

5.1.6 Shrimp depot workers

Karim and Aftabuzzaman (1995) estimate that at least 11,000 female and 4000 male workers find employment at shrimp depots for nearly 8 months. This sector accounts for 144,000 mm of employment.

5.1.7 Shrimp processing factory workers

About 6,000 persons (4,000 female and 2,000 male) work at the shrimp processing factories mostly located in Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Khulna and Satkhira. Corresponding to the extended culture period and therefore shrimp supply period in recent years, most of the factory workers remain engaged for about 8 months. Thus the processing factories contribute 48,000 mm of employment.

Summary of estimated employment

The estimated employment data in respect of various major functional areas are summarised in Table 20.

The estimates in Table 20 do not include employment in several village-based cottage industries such as crafting bamboo screening material, traps, baskets, mats, nets, and constructing wooden sluice boxes, boats, rickshaw vans. Aquafarming has also promoted certain ancillary industries, important among which are ice factories, feed industries, and packaging industries. These economic activities have created employment opportunities not included in the estimates.

The potential for further employment opportunities through aquaculture is enormous. About 62,400 or 48 percent of the existing 1.3 million ponds remain wild. The FCDI, rivers and canals, vast areas of floodlands, inundated paddy fields, roadside ditches and others, most of which have excellent aquaculture potential, remain unused. These water bodies, permanent or seasonal, can be used for aquaculture production through community participation, in particular employing the assetless or unemployed youth and marginal farmers.

Table 20. Estimated employment in aquaculture and aquaculture-related major economic activities.

Employment

Persons involved

Effective months

Mm of employment

Pond/farm ownership

676,810

7 min

4,737,670

Pond/farm workers: fishpond

604,500

2

1,209,000




Galda farm

22,000

2

44,000

Bagda farm

125,000

8

1,000,000

Baor

1,375

4

5,000

Hatchery owner:

439

7

3,073



Fish hatchery




Shrimp hatchery

20

7

140

Hatchery worker: Fish hatchery
(private, government)

2,700

7

18,900


Shrimp hatchery (private, government)

125

7

875

Wild hatchling and fry collectors:

1,900

1

1,900




Fish




Bagda shrimp

154,000

6

924,000

Galda Shrimp

8,000

3

24,000

Fry transporters, traders: Fish

156,800

4

627,200





Bagda shrimp

10,000

6

60,000

Galda shrimp

1,300

4

5,200

Shrimp depot works

15,000

8

120,000

Shrimp processing

6,000

8

48,000

TOTAL

1,785,969


8,828,958


Opportunities also exist for alternative employment for selected groups of fisher persons whose fishing activities, at least in certain seasons, need be stopped to help conserve certain vulnerable fisheries e.g., jatka (hilsa fry), fish and shrimp broodstocks, pre-adult tiger shrimp while performing breeding migrations towards the sea and others.

Aquaculture in association with or alternating with paddies or stocking a neglected domestic pond or a ditch in front of the house could add to the family income.

5.2 Nutritional benefits

Fish is the major source of animal protein in the country. Nearly 80 percent of the animal protein supply is of fish origin. However, fish intake in the country is very low, only about 21g as against the required level of 90g per capita per day. The rapid development and utilisation of all the unutilised or underutilised water resources through aquaculture could significantly reduce the gap between need and supply of fish.


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