Hatia fishermen do not get government assistance even after 34 days

Many people in the island district of Hatia in Noakhali earn their livelihood by fishing. Today marks the 34th day of the 58-day ban on fishing in the sea. Government rice is supposed to be distributed among fishermen during this ban period. But the fishermen complain that they have not yet received that assistance. As a result, they are running their families through loans and debts. The fishermen said that there are at least four to five hundred fishing trawlers in Hatia. Fifteen to 20 people work in each trawler. They have not received any assistance so far this year. Consequently, they have to survive by taking loans.

Even though they have fisherman cards, they are not getting rice. The fishermen also complained that genuine fishermen are not getting assistance at this time. Hatia Upazila Fisheries Officer Fahad Hasan said that an allocation of 273 metric tons of rice has arrived for 4,873 fishermen. The Department of Fisheries and the Upazila Administration will distribute rice among the fishermen very soon. According to the local fisheries office, there are 26,000 registered fishermen in Hatia. However, many others are also involved in fishing outside of this. Notably, this ban, which began on April 15, will end on June 11.