& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

More research needed to harness potential of blue economy

Says Dr Gowher Rizvi

Bss, Dhaka
Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi yesterday stressed the need for conducting research and developing skilled manpower, aiming to reap the optimum benefits from the emerging "blue economy" of the country.
"We need to give more importance to research. We have made great strides... we want to fully utilise the opportunities [blue economy). Without research, without building human resource capacity, without developing skills, we will not be able to do that,” he said.
Dr Rizvi was addressing a discussion on "Potential of Blue Economy in Transforming Future Bangladesh" at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh in the capital.
Bangladesh Agricultural Economists Association (BAEA) organised the discussion with its President and PMO Secretary
Sajjadul Hassan in the chair.
Secretary (maritime affairs unit) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khurshed Alam made a powerpoint presentation while BAEA Secretary General Prof M Kamruzzaman also spoke at the discussion.
Marine scientists, researchers and scholars from Dhaka University and Bangladesh Agricultural University, and representatives from the ministries of fisheries and livestock, power, energy and mineral resources and civil aviation and tourism also took part in it.
Dr Rizvi said stakeholders concerned need to work in an integral way to unlock the true potential of blue economy. “Ocean is offering its bounty to us and we must find out a way of accepting that," he added.
He also emphasised creating a structure, which will be able to coordinate the management of blue economy. "Unless, you will be
able to do that, I don't believe we will be able to avail the maximum advantage, ” he said.
He also stressed the need for focusing more on domestic tourism.
Speaking on the occasion, Professor Emeritus Sattar Mondol highlighted deepening academic engagement, boosting research activities, reorientation of the Ministry of Fisheries on blue economy aspects and engaging private sector to avail the opportunities of blue economy.
In his powerpoint presentation, Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khurshid Alam termed the Bay of Bengal the third neighbour and highlighted some of the aspects of blue economy like marine aquaculture, blue biotechnology, marine genetic resource, maritime transport shipping, coastal shipping, and introduction of long-line fishing, cruise line tourism, offshore wind energy and seabed mining.He said blue economy is the only long-term strategy to attain sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole. "Although blue biotechnology is an important component of this, it is inextricably linked to other economic activities in the marine space, including shipping,
tourism and conventional fisheries."
Mentioning that gas hydrate could be a future source of energy in the country, he said India has already explored this and Bangladesh needs to carry out research to tap this huge potential.
Alam said there is also a need of skilled oceanographers.