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Law on cards to fine errant shrimp hatcheries

Jasim Uddin Khan
The government is set to introduce a law for shrimp hatcheries, incorporating for die first time a provision of financial penalty for failure to keep shrimp products free from germs.
As per the proposed law, if any hatchery owner is found guilty of using material diat is not allowed to apply in the hatcheries, he/she will be fined fromTk25,000 toll 1 lakh, sources said.
The frozen foods sector has long been struggling to ensure germs free consignments for international buyers. In most cases, origins of these germs are detected at hatchery level.
"The law will help reduce the presence of harmful germs at hatching level. Presence of hazardous germs is a serious concern for one of the largest export items in the country." said P Datta, joint secretary (Fisheries) to fisheries ministry'.
Application of the law will help the industry improve significantly, hehoped.
Under the law. the hatchery owners will have to obtain licence from authorities to run their businesses and the government inspectors will be authorised to inspect any hatchery and its infrastructure at anytime.
The owners must disclose the names and sources of the materials they use in their hatcheries.
Artificial breeding, along with
tanks for breeding, maturation, hatching and hybridisation will be subject to regular inspections.
The inspectors will also collect and inspect samples of cartilaginous and bony fishes, shrimps, crustaceans and molluscs.
Abul Bashar, executive director of Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association, said the
industry has been demanding a law, as such, for a long time, as hatchery sector is an important component of the industry.
The proposed law has been sent to the Law Commission for voting and the government may approve it at the Council of Advisers meetingsoon.
Bangladesh earned USS 515
million in 2006-07 fiscal from shrimp export and has set a target of $ 600 million for the current fiscal.
The industry is facing manifold challenges, one of which is to comply with European Union standards regarding the export of frozen foods to EU countries.