Export of farm produces witnesses 31pc rise in 9 months of FY'13

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Yasir Wardad Newly added farm produces to the export basket have helped boost the shipment of agricultural products including fruits, vegetables, flowers and cash crop in the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY'13), officials said. When all other major export items of the country witnessed a nominal growth, export of agricultural produces marked more than 31per cent rise earning nearly $371 million in July -March period of the fiscal year 2012-2013. It was nearly $283 million during the same period in last fiscal year, the state-run Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data showed. Vegetables export grew 43 per cent to nearly $74 million against the target of $57 million in the July-March period of FY'13 while it was $ 51.50 million in the corresponding period of last fiscal. According to the EPB, expatriate Bangladeshis living in the Middle East, Far-East Asia, the UK and US are the main buyers of the vegetables sent from the country. Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Spain Sweden, Greece, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore also import a good quantity of Bangladeshi vegetables. Bangladesh Agro-based Product Producers' and Merchants' Association (BAPPMA) president Md Ruhul Amin said potato export grew substantially in recent times which is also helping the increase in shipment. BAPPMA data revealed that nearly 0.1 million tonnes of potato were exported during the nine months of FY'13 which was 0.08 million tonnes in the same period of FY'12. Fruits export grew 36 per cent to $55.35 million in July-March period of this fiscal year, up from 40.8 million in the same period of last fiscal. The EPB has set a target to export fruits worth $71.8 million this fiscal. The country exports fruits including jackfruit, mango, lemon, guava, litchi, lotkon, Indian olive, blackberry, pomelo, woodapple, etc. Officials said the export has been increasing notably thanks to new export items included in the basket. "The Export Promotion Bureau, Hortex Foundation and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute jointly conducted tests on 'Shelf Life' of green banana and pineapple which is necessary for sanitary and phytosanitary requirement of the buyers over the world," Assistant General Manager of Horticulture Export Development Foundation (Hortex Foundation) Mitul K Saha said. Talking to the FE he said the country has started exporting jara lemon and banana after meeting all necessary requirements of the buyers. "Pineapple is in pipeline to be exported soon", he said. Mitul said that the sector's export could reach a billion dollar mark in next few years if it could manage to increase export of organic farm produces. Adopting the global standardization method 'Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Policy' or GAP Policy will also help Bangladesh enter the mainstream export market that could boost the shipments of agricultural products, he added. The shipment of spices is also increasing significantly following a great demand of Bangladeshi spices around the world. However, the country fetched $16.28 million by exporting spices in the first nine months of FY'13 with an outstanding 68 per cent growth while overall export earnings from spices was $13.7 million in the last fiscal. Cut flower, tobacco and dry foods brought a handsome amount of $31 million, 49.0 million and 26.5 million respectively during July-March period. Agricultural products' overall income was nearly $403 million in FY'12 while the target for FY'13 has been fixed at $445.68 million.