Livestock
The paper examines the distribution, availability, output growth and planning performance of the livestock sector in Bangladesh over the past sixty years. The livestock resources are relatively well distributed. Although availability per hectare increased for all types of livestock, a count of 1.55 bovine per hectare is seriously inadequate to support drought power requirements. Despite remarkable livestock product growth of 5.4% (dominated by poultry sector) and a stable Gross Domestic Production (GDP) contribution of 2.1-3.6%, budget allocations remained <1% of total outlay in subsequent plan periods. A host of interrelated factors such as technical, institutional, and social, are affecting the development of the livestock sector. A comprehensive policy for the livestock sector was launched only in 2005 whose effective implementation and success remains to be seen. The government is encouraging private investment in livestock sector but quality assurance of day old chicks, drugs, vaccines, feeds, and breeding materials through legal and regulatory framework is necessary for sustainable development of the livestock sector.
Fisheries
Bangladesh is endowed with a vast expanse of inland open waters characterized by rivers, canals, natural and man-made lakes, freshwater marshes, estuaries, brackish water impediments and floodplains. The potential fish resources resulting from these are among the richest in the world; in production, only China and India outrank Bangladesh. The inland fish diversity of is attributed to the habitats created by the Bengal Delta wetlands and the confluence of the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Jamuna rivers that flow from the Himalayan Mountains into the Bay of Bengal. There are, however, serious concerns surrounding the slow decline in the condition of open water fish stocks which have been negatively impacted upon through a series of natural and anthropocentric induced changes including large scale abstraction of water for irrigation and the construction of water barrages and dams, human activity resulting in the over exploitation of stocks, the unregulated introduction of exotic stocks and pollution from industry. Also, natural phenomena, regular flooding etc. cause rivers to continually change course creating complications of soil erosion or over situation of waterways. As a consequence, many Bangladeshi species are either critically endangered or extinct. Aquaculture has increasingly been playing a major role in total fish production of the country and presently more than half of the total production comes from aquaculture. The sector provides living and livelihood for more than 11% people of the country. If the available resources are used sustainably with proper technological assistance, fish produced from aquaculture would efficiently meet the protein demand of growing population of the country. The needs of Bangladesh’s poor fisher community to eat what they catch and lack of a legal legislative framework means the situation can only worsen. Hope, however, is offered through several new conservation initiatives including the establishment of fish sanctuaries at strategic points in rivers and floodplains, concerted breeding programmers and the maintenance of captive stocks and cryogenic ally stored materials.
Dairy
Milk production is one of the most important economic activities in Bangladesh, providing 3.6 million households with supplementary income. The dairy system in Bangladesh is characterized by small-scale operations, coupled with crops and other o-farm activities. Several government, NGO and private sector initiatives have made progress in transforming dairy into a more value-driven and market-oriented sector. The dairy market in Bangladesh is lucrative for investors given the country’s large population, rising incomes and evolving diet. Milk production in Bangladesh annually grew by 6.2% between 2005 and 2012. This growth was largely due to higher milk production by an increasing number of cross-bred dairy cows, more institutional investment in dairy, rising market demand for processed dairy products and the implementation of other similar dairy development programmers.