The US-labour group chief in her recent visit to Bangladesh expressed doubt over a claim on elimination of child labour in the shrimp processing plants of the country.
Ellie Kiel Larson, executive director of the American labour group -- Solidarity Center - was here to verify the situation, which has been improved as reported by a Bangladesh team during a visit to the US.
The chief of the US-labour group left the country Tuesday after holding a series of meetings with the government officials and readymade garment, knitwear and shrimp exporters.
She expressed her critical views about the involvement of child labour in the shrimp processing factories despite official claim on significant improvement in the sector, said an official of fisheries ministry.
"After October 2007, the shrimp industry owners have carried out significant improvement in labour rights and elimination of child labour," he said.
On last Saturday, shrimp exporters held meeting at Khulna with the US representative to explain the existing improved situation in shrimp export in the current fiscal.
The powerful US labour group AFL-CIO and its associate 'Solidarity Center' aired a report on the CNN accusing the exporters of employing child labour and abusing labour rights in the shrimp processing plants.
The AFL-CIO also filed a writ petition in the US trade representatives office last year for withdrawal of trade benefit from Bangladesh due to involvement of child labour in its export industries.
Shrimp exporters said propaganda against the potential exporting sector has caused significant decline in shrimp export to the US market.
According to last ten months statistics, shrimp export to US was worth US$123 million. It was $172 million last year.
The government has set export target at US$ 600 million for fiscal 2007-08. Last year, the country earned more than $515 million by exporting frozen food.
It is unlikely that the export target in the just concluded fiscal could be achieved. But it will surpass the last year's earning by 7.0 per cent.
This year, shrimp export might face shortfall of target by $80 million in the just concluded fiscal due to false and fabricated news circulated among the buyers on abuse of child labour, said an exporter.
European Union (EU) and the US are the main two exporting destinations of country's frozen shrimp, an official said.
"Both EU and US have been monitoring the labour rights situation strictly following allegation of labour right groups on compliance and food safety issues," he said.
A team of EU is expected to arrive in the country in November to evaluate the implementation of its directives on food safety issues last year.
Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) president Kazi Belayet Hossain said: "Overall expenditure on shrimp export increased significantly this year following imposition of some measures and circulation of false news about our industry."
The exporters have to send five chemical test reports with shrimp consignments instead of three tests, he said.
"We have to conduct chemical test of all shrimp consignments now," he added.
