Dhaka faces key test in shrimp export

FE Team | Published: March 23, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Monira Munni
A top European Union (EU) team arrives in the country today (Wednesday) to inspect fish farms and processing plants, in a visit seen crucial for the future of the shrimp industry. The three-member team comprising Hans Van Rhijn, Graeme Jones and Lena Englund will hold meetings with top officials of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and Department of Fisheries (DoF). The future of the country's export to EU countries largely depends on the EU FVO's (Food and Veterinary Office) report on aquaculture residue monitoring activities, Shamsul Kibria, joint secretary of Fisheries Ministry, told the FE Tuesday. The delegation will scrutinise the present situation of residue control in live animals and animal products and the control mechanism for veterinary medicinal products--measures seen as key requirements for export of shrimps to EU. The team will also review implementation of public health and residue control requirement in aquaculture products from root level to production level so that health-hazard agents or drugs cannot enter the shrimps' bodies meant for export, he said. The EU is the largest importer of Bangladesh shrimps, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the shipment. Shrimp farming is a key employer in the country's poverty-stricken southwestern coastal region. According to the industry, the country's 130 shrimp processing plants and tens of thousands of farms employ over one million people. Mr Kibria said during the visit, the EU delegation will monitor whether the country's farms, landing stations, depots and processing plants, in Khulna, have enforced some key health and hygiene standards it suggested in January last year. The team will also visit laboratories run by DoF and Bangladesh Council for Science and Industrial Research to examine testing and quality control measures, he said. Experts say any deviation from the standards could lead to a bad report by the team and also a 100 per cent ban on Bangladesh shrimp in the 27-meember regional bloc. Bangladeshi exporters have already been suffering from 20 per cent stringent mandatory testing requirement by the EU authority. "The EU team's visit is very crucial for us as they will go to grassroots to monitor our industry. If they find that we have failed to implement their standards, our export could face a major setback," Maksudur Rahman, former vice president of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA), said. Mr Kibria said: "We are now more confident, disciplined and organised. We hope we can impress upon the team with the level of standards we have achieved in the past one year." The country made overseas shipment of frozen food worth $431.27 million during July-February of the current fiscal year.