100 consumer items to be standardised with int'l level by this year

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Jasim Uddin Haroon
Standard of about 100 locally produced consumer items is likely to be harmononised with international level by December this year to facilitate export of those products.
A number of foreign countries including India are reluctant to import locally produced items due to lack of standardisation.
Some 63 local consumer products have so far been harmonised with international standards, sources at the Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) said.
National Project Coordinator Mostafa Anowar told the FE that the progress of harmonisation was in progress and added: "We are expecting standards of some 100 local products to be harmonised internationally by December this year".
Bottled drinking water, fruit juices, sweetmeat and other products were among the list whose standards have been harmonised with internationally level so far.
Standarisation of local products are being improved under a project styled Bangladesh Quality Support Programme (BQSP). The project is being implemented under the financial assistance of European Union (EU), NORAD, international Trade Centre of the World Trade Organisation and the government of Bangladesh.
The total project cost is 1.3 million Euro and the project will end December 2009. The implementation of project was started in July last year.
Besides, the project will also help to improve some potential local consumer products to comply with standards criterion of the SAARC region.
The project is now working on cookies and shampoos so the standards of these goods are maintained according to SAARC criterion.
Sources said the demand for these two items in neighbouring India is substantial and a large quantity of these goods is smuggled each year.
They said SAARC standard harmonisations will create the path to legal trade with the neighbouring countries.
Project sources claimed that it had already developed a team of auditors comprising 13 persons who are eligible to certify and help develop local laboratories.