Habiganj Agro Limited, a sister concern of the country’s leading business conglomerate PRAN-RFL Group, and Denmark-based Assentoft Aqua have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly establish an indoor, fully controlled intensive fish farming facility using Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology.
The MoU was signed on Thursday at the Pran Centre, Dhaka. Naser Ahmed, Executive Director of Habiganj Agro Limited and Dr. Jens Ole Olesen, Business Development Director of Assentoft Aqua, signed on behalf of their respective organizations.
Eleash Mridha, Managing Director of PRAN Group, Thomas Söderlind, Managing Partner of Marisco, Abdullah Al Mamun Md. Yusuf, Country Manager of Assentoft Aqua, Muhammad Aminur Rahman FCS, Company Secretary of PRAN-RFL Group and Touhiduzzaman, Deputy General Manager (Public Relations) were present at the signing ceremony.
The project is planned to be located at the Mirsharai Economic Zone in Chattogram Division or at another mutually agreed suitable location. Under the agreement, both parties will establish indoor fish production facility in multiple phases.
The total project investment is projected at Euro 30 million over the next two years in two to three phases. The facility will primarily focus on cultivating Asian Seabass and potentially other high-value species such as grouper, hilsa targeting an average fish size of 1,200–1,500 grams. The produced fish will mainly be exported, while a portion may also meet local demand. Upon full completion, the project aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 2,000 metric tons.
Speaking about the initiative, Eleash Mridha said, “PRAN is committed to establishing a state-of-the-art RAS fish farming facility in Bangladesh to meet the growing domestic and international demand for high-quality fish. This is a significant step for the country, as many developed nations are already producing high-yield and premium-quality fish using this technology. Through this project, Bangladesh will produce seabass at industrial scale for the first time.”
Dr Jens Ole Olesen said, “Marisco ApS of Denmark, an associate company of Assentoft Aqua ApS, has been working with various Bangladeshi enterprises since 2016 in multiple trade and business capacities. Over the past two years, the company has secured Danish government-guaranteed funding to establish a RAS-based fish farming project in Bangladesh, including hatchery, brood stock, and nursery facilities. As part of this continued initiative, we are pleased to partner with PRAN-RFL Group and are confident about the success of this project.”