Nexus between aquaculture intensification and aqua drugs utilization in nangolkot upazila in bangladesh

Abstract:

Aquaculture is a rapidly developing food production sector. The present study was carried out to understand the correlation of squaculture intensification and use of aqua-chemicals in Nangalkot upazila of Cumilla district of Bangladesh. Data were collected through questionnaire interview, personal contact, and market survey with the stakeholder including fish farmers, retailers of aqua chemicals, representatives of pharmaceuticals companies. There were total 10 aqua chemicals shop and 12 fish farmers were randomly selected for covering the study area and used GPS location for primary data collection. In study area the land area of fish farms were around 80 acre (ac) among the randomly selected fish farmer before 2006 but in 2018 it became more than 120 acre (ac) land area among the fish farmer whom are selected randomly. The land area was increased almost 50%. In the same way the production of fish were also increased around 3 times. It indicates that the land area and the production of aquaculture were increased. The uses of aqua chemicals were extended significantly in recent 7 to 8 years. There are 43 different types of aqua chemicals used by the fish farmers at present in this area. These aqua chemicals were categorized into seven major groups such as growth promoter, antibiotics, oxygen plier, probiotics, insecticides, disinfectants and water quality management. The fish farmers mostly use growth promoter and oxygen supplier. Ossi C, Charger gel, Sorpherol, Antistress were used to enhance the growth of fish. The fish farmers widely used Virusnip, Timsen, Ammonil and Virex as disinfectants. Novamix-104, Renamycin were mostly used antibiotics. Some probiotics such as Biozyme, Gasonex+y, Ecotoxinil were used. Oxy flow, Oxy gold, Oxy max, Oxy more and Oxy-A were mainly used as oxygen supplier. Deletix, Rise and Paratics were used as insecticides and Polgard +, Aquaxide plus, Pondkleen were used for water quality management. There were 14 companies, which provided different aqua drugs and aqua chemicals in study area. These were Fishtech (BD) Ltd. (33%), Renata Ltd. (9%), Eon Agro Industries Ltd. (7%), Newtec Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (4.65%), Eon Agro Industries Ltd. (6.98%). The fish farmers mostly use Fishtech (BD) Ltd. products. Aquaculture in Nangalkot upazila of Cumilla district are increasing both horizontal and vertical ways. The production of aquaculture were enlarged simultaneously used of aqua drugs and aqua chemicas were also amplified. Average selling rate of aqua drugs and chemicals increased from 0.2 million BDT to 0.85 million BDT per year in every shop over the last 12 years. Production of fish were increased three times in last 12 years but selling of aqua chemicals expanded four times. So the production of fish or the aqua farms are linked together with the aqua drugs and chemicals shop.