Economic Reporter :
The agriculture ministry plans to double export earnings from fresh vegetables, fruits, processed spices and foods to $2 billion in the next two years by addressing bottlenecks faced by exporters, according to a draft plan.
The initiative comes as export receipts from overall agricultural sector crossed $1 billion for the first time in fiscal 2020-21, buoyed by a surge in shipment of dry foods and spices apart from fresh vegetables, fruits and other foods.
To attain the goal, the draft roadmap said works were in progress to ensure a dedicated gate at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for entry of fresh farm produce alongside a scanner.
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has taken steps to increase the capacity of the airport’s cold storage by 120 tonnes.
The government has also taken up an initiative to set up globally accredited lab in order to increase export of agricultural goods, which brought $550 million in export earnings five years ago.
The Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM), an agency under the agriculture ministry, has also set up an export cell.
Meanwhile the agriculture ministry has also established a cell to implement Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)-2020 at the ministry, said the draft roadmap placed at a meeting at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (Barc).
“We are in surplus in various crops and this has created prospects for exporting vegetables, potato and fruits. We want to export our surplus crops abroad. This is why, we are working to remove the bottlenecks,” said Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque at the event.
“Our preparation is almost complete,” he added.
The draft, prepared by a panel formed in June 2021, said the absence of suitable varieties of tomato, potato, chili, turmeric, peanut, cassava and cashew nut was a major barrier to bolstering export.
Safe and quality fresh produce cannot be ensured in absence of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and good management practices.
The draft roadmap identified inadequate space for fresh produce in the cargo area of the airport while the absence of a dedicated scanner hampering fresh produce shipment.
Moreover, the absence of lab facilities to conduct required tests is a hindrance for exporters, said the draft roadmap.
A lack of availability of cargo space in planes also affect shipments of fresh produce to major markets, mainly the Middle East, United Kingdom and Malaysia.
Dry and other processed foods and spice are shipped by sea.
“The exports will increase a lot if we can solve the problems,” Mohammed Razu Ahmed, member secretary to the roadmap preparation committee told.
Md Mesbahul Islam, senior secretary to the agriculture ministry, said higher exports would increase income of farmers. “On the other hand, we will earn foreign currency,” he added.
