The government of Bangladesh has decided not to extend leases of over 800 water bodies to a Grameen Bank subsidiary which put the livelihoods of over 60,000 rural poor in jeopardy. Grameen Motsho O Pashusampad Foundation (GMPF), which transformed hundreds of derelict ponds into viable fisheries and created jobs for thousands of rural poor over the last two decades, is now losing grounds because of the government’s sudden policy shift on leasing out the previously neglected water bodies.
It is informed that Grameen Bank took lease of 875 derelict ponds with an area of over 6,500 bighas of land in different upazilas of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Bogra, Sirajganj and Pabna districts through four agreements signed with the government between 1986 and 1988.
Being a non-profit entity GMPF, Grameen Bank eventually cleaned and developed those ponds and their vicinities, formed groups from among the poor and engaged them in various income generating activities including fish cultivation, dairy, livestock and poultry farming, duckery, cattle fattening, horticulture and homestead gardening.
Now as the leases are expiring one after another, the government is denying the Grameen venture any further extension of leases on the pretext that the ministry and departments concerned would take up those water bodies for productive activities through community-based organisations (CBOs).
The government said that it did not renew the leases in favour of the Grameen Bank subsidiary on expiry of the lease terms for NSFP and FSMF, but the GMPF is still taking care of fish culture and other activities there as the government has not taken back those too. Denying the GMPF a lease renewal for JFF, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock recently asked the Directorate of Fisheries to get prepared for taking up the responsibilities of over 700 ponds under JFF in 2011 and cultivate fish there by involving CBOs.
The GMPF feared that non-renewal of the leases and discontinuation of Grameen’s activities there would mean loss of dairy and fishery production, and unemployment to a huge rural workforce. Officials of the ministry concerned contested this view, saying that the Department of Fisheries will come up with an elaborate plan by December this year making sure that community people can be part of these income generating activities as we take over in 2011.
