Anisur Rahman Khan :
Though the genuine exporters of fruits, vegetables and allied products are not getting government incentive given as financial support, a section of people have been receiving the incentive from banks showing fake documents of exporting fruits and products.
Allegations have been brought against leaders of Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Product Exporters Association (BFVAPEA) for providing fake papers for getting incentives from the banks depriving the genuine exporters of fruits, vegetables and allied products.
Responding to a complaint from the deprived exporters, the Ministry of Commerce has already started investigation while the country’s intelligence agencies have also submitted reports after the investigation.
According to an intelligence report received recently, the agency has found some anomalies against the association leaders in certifying fake exporters taking illegal benefits, depriving the genuine exporters, taking money from the members without money receipts and occupying posts of the body for 17 years without polls for making money.
The report also said that showing the names of six fruits and vegetable exporting agencies, BFVAPEA President Jahangir Hossain has been taking the benefits for years. But, it hasn’t got their existence.
When contacted, BFVAPEA President Jahangir Hossain told this correspondent that there is no basis of such allegations as the executive committee of the body is an elected one including those who have received CIP cards and reward for exporting such products to different destinations.
“The complaint is a ‘false’ and ‘motivated’ one. A syndicate of traders and exporters who were included in the association before two or three years has been trying to create controversy against its leaders to grab the positions. They don’t have much business. Their exporting volume is very poor. They want to get the government incentives showing fake papers, but we didn’t allow them,” he claimed.
He also said, “When the annual turnover of the association is less than 50 lakh, it’s funny to bring allegations of misappropriating of crores of Taka. We are here. Let them prove it.”
In the complaint, the complainant – Rajib Dev, owner of Technovision and Agrovision – claimed that the leaders of the association take Tk 10,000 for its membership while Tk 4,000 is being taken from each of its 2,000 members every year for renewal of membership.
Exporters need to pay Tk 800 to Tk 1,000 for per metric tonnes of fruits or vegetables or other products being exported from the country without money receipts. More than 5,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetable are being exported every day from the country. The entire money is going to their pockets, it added.
