'Food for net', interest-free loan evoke good response

Under the experimental project launched in the Sadar upazila on July 2, people living on banks of haors and nearby areas are being given rice on deposit of fishing nets and a commitment not to catch fish fries in the current monsoon season.

They have also been assured of interest-free loan.

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The rice is being distributed by Union Parishads under VGD (Vulnerable Group Development) cards, which will remain valid for two months.

Official sources said about 2000 nets were deposited to local bodies since launch of the programme. The nets would be returned after the period.

The programme has earned good support from the local people, said a number of villagers.

It has been launched consideration the precarious situation in the haor areas, battered by floods twice this year.

People in the haor areas are dependent mainly on agriculture, but most of the farmers lost their IRRI-Boro crop in April and there is no scope to raise any food crop this year.

Traditionally, the hoar people do not have any work during the wet season, when they mainly depend on fishing for livelihood.

According to an official estimate, fries worth about Tk one crore are caught yearly in the district, causing depletion of fish resources.

Though there is restriction on catching fish fries, it goes on unabated as the law can not be enforced strictly because of the prevailing situation and dearth of law enforcers.

An interim arrangement done by the district administration last year stopped indiscriminate fishing in the Tanguar Haorn. It produced good results. There was good spawning in the vast Tanguar Haor and fries of different species spread to almost all the adjacent water bodies this year.

But netting of fries could not be stopped totally despite deployment of several mobile courts because poor people remain without work for over six months during the wet season.

Considering all these, the administration started the 'food for nets' programme, sources said.

A wide publicity on the 'food for net' programme was made through loudspeakers even in remote villages. People responded well.

Shamsu Miah of Joykalosh village said, people are depositing their fishing nets because they are given rice for survival and have been assured of interest-free loan, which will save them from moneylenders.

They are convinced that saving the fries will increase the fish resources and bring good days for them after some months, who give loan on high interest rate, Shamsu Mia said.

While talking to The Daily Star, Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Jafar Siddique said, "We have started the programme after consulting the local people for their greater interest.

"The response in very good. People are coming up with a different attitude as we are giving rice under a certain programme, not as relief, when most of the haor people are jobless and badly hit by crop damage.

"Different commercial banks have been asked to give interest-free loan to the net depositors.

"Soon we will expand the programme to Tahirpur and some other upazilas may also be included", he said.

Besides, Tk 2 crore has been sanctioned by the relief ministry for the flood ravaged Sunamganj district, the DC said.

"We are working out the guideline for distribution of the amount under a programme which will really benefit the poor", he added.