Quality Control Sub-strategy, 2006.

The approach to developing the Quality Control Sub-strategy was threefold: 1. A review of the key documents that lay out the principles upon which the Government of Bangladesh and its cooperating partners are planning and implementing their development activities and the identification of those principles and objectives that relate to quality control; 2. An extensive consultative process involving all stakeholders in quality control to clarify the current problems and agree on means of overcoming these; 3. The summarizing of the findings of 1 and 2 under seven agreed themes to provide an agreed Quality Control Sub-strategy and the basis for the subsequent development of an Action Plan upon which the Department of Fisheries can develop its quality control activities in a rational manner (pag. 3).
The objectives of the National Fisheries Policy are: 1. enhance fisheries production and development; 2. alleviate poverty through creating self-employment and improvement of socioeconomic conditions of fishers; 3. meet the demand for animal protein; 4. achieve economic growth and increased foreign currency earnings by exporting fish and fisheries products; 5. maintain an ecological balance, conserve biodiversity and improve public health. Mandate of the Department of Fisheries As part of the mandate of the Department of Fisheries special reference is given to Quality Control under the specific mandate: enforce quality control and quality assurance measures considering global requirements and issuance of health certificate for exportable fish and fishery products; assist the administrative ministry to formulate policies, acts and rules etc. It is also required under the mandate to: disseminate improved environmentally friendly aquaculture technologies through training and demonstrations and to extend extension and advisory services to the local stakeholders. The mandate is therefore twofold for Quality Control: 1) establish the regulations to control the quality aspects of the sector and 2) help inform the stakeholders how best to comply with the regulations and the need for them (pag. 5).
The objectives of the Quality Control Sub-strategy are: through the establishment and implementation of sound regulations ensure that fish and fish products placed on the market is of good quality and the consumers have confidence in the product and that the producers, traders and processors know, understand and are willing to comply with the regulations (pag. 5). The Strategy aims at giving guidance for implementing Quality Control for the next 10 to 20 years. This is not an easy task as the requirements made by consumers and the importing countries are changing fast reflecting growing concerns, not only in the quality of the product, but in how it was produced. Recent demands that have to be reflected in this strategy include recognition of the impact of the fisheries sector on the environment; social equity in the production of the product and traceability of the product from source so that any deliberate attempts at contamination can be determined (pag. 7).