The government is stepping up inter-ministerial coordination to remove regulatory bottlenecks and unlock the vast investment potential of Bangladesh's marine economy, officials said on Monday.
Speaking at a seminar titled "Investment Potential in Fisheries and Marine Economy in Bangladesh" at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun assured private investors of comprehensive policy support.
The seminar, jointly organised by BIDA and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), highlighted investment opportunities in deep-sea fishing, mariculture and exports to the Japanese seafood market.
Ashik said fragmented government policies have long remained a key impediment to investment in the marine economy. Leveraging BIDA's position under the Prime Minister's Office, the agency is working to serve as a central coordinating body among the ministries of fisheries, commerce and finance to formulate cohesive and business-friendly policy packages, he added.
Urging a shift in the national mindset from land-based resources to the untapped opportunities of the ocean economy, Ashik expressed optimism about the sector's prospects.
"We are pushing the internal government machinery to change the course of our country towards becoming a genuine fish-exporting nation," he said, projecting a major transformation in the sector over the next three to five years.
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