Hard to distinguish between river fish and farmed fish nowadays

(After the first part)
Dr. F.H. Ansarey is a renowned figure in agricultural development. He has worked tirelessly both at home and abroad in agricultural development, research, sales, marketing, and globalisation. He is currently the Director of the Agricultural Research Foundation and a Syndicate Member of Bangladesh Agricultural University. A leading figure in agribusiness, Dr. F.H. Ansarey has been associated with the field for 36 years. He has made significant contributions to various sectors of agribusiness, including seeds, fertilisers, crop care, farm mechanisation, animal health, and integrated poultry. For the past 23 years, he has held top leadership positions within the ACI Group. Recently, Dr. F.H. Ansarey sat down with Views Bangladesh to discuss the state of Bangladesh’s agricultural system and the scope for agricultural modernisation. The second part of this three-part interview is published today.

The interview was conducted by economist and writer M A Khaleque and Views Bangladesh’s Associate Editor Girish Goiric.

Views Bangladesh: In the southern regions of our country, seawater enters arable lands through many river basins, causing salinity and disrupting agriculture. What can the state do in this regard?

Dr. F.H. Ansarey: There are two things we can do here. One is to deepen the river basins significantly. This will increase the water flow, and when the pressure of freshwater increases from upstream, the influence of saltwater will decrease. In many places, due to embankments, the rivers have filled up. If we can dredge those areas, the salinity pressure will likely decrease. That’s one approach. Of course, it requires funding—this would need a large budget. If we can’t manage that, then what should we do? In that case, we must develop salt-tolerant crop varieties—or import them—and spread them across these regions.

There are now new technologies available. If we can introduce plants that naturally grow in saline conditions, our crop production will increase. Crops that were previously impossible to grow in saline conditions in our country could be cultivated. In many cases, genetic intervention or cross-breeding can also help us develop high-yielding salt-tolerant varieties. This work is being done in government institutions, and we in the private sector are also involved.

So, what’s happening today? We now have many salt-tolerant varieties of tomatoes, eggplants, and other vegetables. Another good development is that we’ve also developed salt-tolerant wheat. It’s now possible to cultivate wheat and even sunflowers in these regions. So, while the problem of salinity is increasing, new solutions are also emerging. The government and private companies are working together on this.

Views Bangladesh: One major issue in agriculture is transportation. Agricultural products are not produced in cities—they come from villages through transportation. In that process, various issues increase the cost of agriculture. Due to extortion and other irregularities in the transport sector, the price of farm produce can rise by 20 percent to even 100 percent by the time it reaches the urban consumer. In such cases, middlemen benefit the most. For example, a farmer in Bogura sells eggplant at Tk 20 per kg, but a consumer in Dhaka buys it at Tk 80 per kg. What’s the solution to this?

Dr. F.H. Ansarey: Basically, this is a social problem—it’s not a scientific one. It has to be addressed socially. I believe that state power needs to be exercised in this case. We need to bring in motivation. People need to be made to understand that this country belongs to all of us, and we must work together. No one should take unfair advantage by putting pressure on others. We must educate everyone in this way. That’s one approach. Another aspect is that the judicial system must be made stronger. If those who are responsible for these irregularities can be identified and brought to justice, much of this chaos will decrease. I don’t know of any other path. On one hand, we need motivation; on the other, proper punitive measures.

Political patronage is also a serious issue here. In this country, a political culture has emerged where people enter politics for personal gain. If those who engage in politics for personal benefit can be identified and expelled from their parties, they won’t be able to continue such activities. If we can take these steps, we can get out of this situation.

Views Bangladesh: We were discussing that Bangladesh is an agriculture-based country, but the younger generation is turning away from farming. They believe they can earn more by working in other sectors. This is creating a kind of vacuum. What is the way out of this?

Dr. F.H. Ansarey: It’s true that many are turning away from agriculture, but at the same time, many are also getting involved in it. We’ve seen that those who went abroad returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic. After returning, they moved back to the villages and started farming. Some are growing vegetables, others are producing milk, or involved in fish or poultry farming. The reason is that they’re able to make a profit. Nowhere else is profit as quick as in agriculture. A crop cycle lasts three to six months. With the development of new varieties, crops now yield results in a very short time. After selling them, the money comes back quickly. That’s why agriculture is now a highly profitable profession.

We’re also seeing many students who, after completing their studies, are going back to villages and getting involved in farming. Their interest in agriculture stems from two aspects: one is traditional agriculture, where profit is minimal—done just to feed the family somehow. The other is high productivity farming. In this model, one can utilise their labour efficiently and earn enough to cover their children's education, healthcare, clothing, and even build a house—basically, meet all family needs.

How is this possible? Let me give a few examples. In our laboratory, we have developed two varieties of wheat. People in this country typically don’t grow wheat because, on average, wheat yields only about 2 to 2.5 tonnes per hectare. On the other hand, rice yields about 4 to 4.5 tonnes per hectare—some even get more. Since there’s not much price difference between rice and wheat, if someone gets only half the yield from wheat, why would they grow it? That’s why they opt for rice cultivation.

Now, the wheat varieties we have developed are yielding 4.5 to 5 tonnes per hectare. This year, the yield even reached 5.5 tonnes. That means it is outperforming rice. Farmers who grow this wheat will continue to do so repeatedly because it is profitable for them.

These wheat varieties have two key elements. First, they are highly suitable for making bread (roti). The wheat typically available in our country contains only about 20 percent gluten. But the wheat we have developed and distributed to farmers contains over 30 percent gluten. Regarding protein content: the wheat we import from Russia has only about 9 percent protein. To make bread, they often mix it with wheat from Australia or Canada, which has about 20 percent protein. The varieties we have provided contain about 12 percent protein. As a result of these innovations, we are moving from import dependency to self-reliance.

We’ve talked about wheat—now let’s talk about potatoes. Right now, we are harvesting potatoes. What kind of potatoes? We have adapted a variety from the Netherlands here in Bangladesh. We call it Valencia. This variety yields 22 to 25 tonnes in just 60 days. In contrast, the traditional varieties of potatoes in our country take 90 days to reach similar yields. Now, a farmer is harvesting potatoes in 60 days, and right after harvesting, they’re planting potatoes again. That means the same potato crop is being cultivated twice in one season.

You raised the issue of land scarcity earlier. But now, that issue doesn’t really apply. If the same land can produce the same crop twice, and the first batch is sold at a higher price—maybe the second batch sells for a bit less—still, since potato prices are currently high, overall, it becomes profitable to grow potatoes.

You asked why people are leaving agriculture. Yes, some are—but others are also joining. Especially those who understand modern agriculture, those who are smart, educated, who observe, learn, and analyze before entering the field—they’re coming into agriculture. The two examples I gave—these have become possible in this country, and they’ve come from the private sector, specifically from ACI House. In this way, many innovations are taking place in agriculture. New innovations are emerging. While some may move away from agriculture, many new young people will enter the field. Agricultural productivity will improve. Yields will increase. I believe the country will move toward self-sufficiency in food.

Views Bangladesh: In many countries, potatoes are a staple food. In Bangladesh, potatoes are the third major food crop. In developed countries, potatoes are consumed in various forms. Apart from cooking, how else can we incorporate potatoes into our diet?

Dr. F.H. Ansarey: We typically eat potatoes either mashed or cooked. But there is a change coming to that tradition. These days, our snack shops are selling French fries. Potato chips are available in almost every grocery store. However, many of those chips aren't actually made from potatoes—they're made from rice or wheat. Sometimes they're made from imported potatoes. For years, we had many potato varieties in our country with a dry matter content of less than 18 percent. You can't make French fries from those because they lack the necessary dry matter. When soaked in oil, they become soggy instead of crispy. Their oil absorption rate was also over 3 percent.

But with the new potato variety we introduced, Valencia, the dry matter content is 22.5 percent. The oil absorption rate is just 0.3 percent, and the sugar content is also very low. Previously, our local potatoes had a much higher sugar content. With the introduction of this new variety, we can now enjoy potatoes the way Western countries do—especially as French fries. In many countries, French fries are eaten as a main meal. With these new varieties now available in our country, we’ll be able to produce quality French fries and many other potato-based food items. We won’t even need to import potato powder anymore. As a result, the use of potatoes in Bangladesh will diversify, and potatoes will increasingly be recognised as an economic crop in our society.

Views Bangladesh: A major portion of Bangladesh’s protein demand is fulfilled by fish. We used to have many freshwater bodies. But with the development of infrastructure like roads, factories, and housing, those water bodies have diminished. As a result, the production of native fish has decreased. Now, many fishes are being farmed artificially, but they lack the original taste. There’s also a noticeable price difference between farmed and native fish in the market. Is it possible to get the same taste in farmed fish as in native ones? Or, what can we do to increase the production of native fish?

Dr. F.H. Ansarey: Previously, we used to get about 60 percent of our fish from open sources—rivers, canals, wetlands, and the sea—and only about 40 percent from farming. In the last 10 years, this has flipped: now, 60 percent comes from fish farming and only 40 percent from open water. Why did this happen? Because demand for fish has increased, and the availability of fish from natural sources has decreased. It’s possible to increase fish production through aquaculture, and it’s also profitable.

But a major challenge is that many people are reluctant to eat farmed fish, and their market price is much lower. Recently, however, some farmed fishes are no longer being sold as farmed fish—they're being marketed as river fish. This is because these farmed fishes look very appealing and taste quite good. They contain a high amount of fat, making it difficult to distinguish them from wild fishes.

In our country, what usually happens during fish farming is that when feed is given to the bottom of ponds, only a portion is consumed by fishes while the rest mixes with the soil. This produces nitrogen and pollutes the water. As a result, when these fishes are eaten, a particular odor is noticeable, which helps people recognise them as farmed fish. But now, the technology of fish feed has changed. Floating and semi-floating fish feed is available. Fish that require floating feed are given that specifically, and those that feed in mid-water are given semi-floating feed. Sinking feed is also used as needed. The fishes are provided with the precise amount of feed they need. As a result, food is not wasted, and water doesn’t get polluted. Moreover, after being harvested from the water body, the fish are kept in a separate tank for two to three days without feeding. Any unpleasant odors they might have are naturally eliminated during this period. As a result, these days it’s hard to distinguish between farmed and river fish in terms of smell and taste.

And the small fish, which people in this country like very much, are also now being farmed. Overall, the fish situation has changed significantly. These days, it's very difficult to distinguish between river fish and farmed fish. I believe farmed fish should be consumed because they are not raised in polluted water. Nowadays, most of the rivers and open water bodies have become polluted. Industrial waste flows into them. Many factory drains discharge directly into the rivers. As a result, river fish have also become somewhat contaminated. I believe farmed fish are better to eat. If farmed properly, it is possible to get very tasty fish from aquaculture.

(To be continued)

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First part:Hard to distinguish between river fish and farmed fish nowadays