BAB to facilitate trade in a bigger way

The recognition of the Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB) by reputed international agencies, conferring the authority to certify exported and imported goods is a piece of good news for the country's trading community. The businesses have for long felt the need for certification by the country's recognised accreditation agency. They are now set to experience the benefits of this recognition. They will be able to access the overseas markets in respect of products which require laboratory tests to fulfill compliance requirements. Two renowned international bodies -- Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) -- have recognised the BAB. This is expected to facilitate more such recognition, paving the way for world-wide acceptance of the BAB certificates.
Lack of accredited laboratories has for long been a serious deterrent to accessing overseas markets as well as expansion of the country's export basket. As of now, local manufacturers, exporters, importers and service organisations have to obtain certification on various counts amid uncertainties. This is more pronounced these days than in the past as the destination markets, especially those in the developed countries, are resorting to increasing trade barriers through stricter non-tariff measures on issues relating to, among others, sanitary and phyto-sanitary aspects. While there is a dearth of well-equipped laboratories in the country to test products prior to exports, the need for compatibility with the standards of overseas markets is yet another major hurdle affecting exports. This is to say, equipping the labs with proper human, technical and logistic resources is not just enough to assure exporters of the entry of their products into the target markets. What is critically important is conformity assessment which can only be ensured through accredited agencies authorised to conduct tests as per strictly followed and monitored guidelines.   
Accreditation is an international practice in which certification of competency, authority or credibility is presented. Organisations that issue credentials or certify third parties are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies. The testing labs accredited to do the job are thus entrusted to ensure compliance with established technical requirements involving physical, chemical, forensic, quality and security standards. At the moment, there are testing labs in the country under various ministries, but lack of coordination, poor or deficient compliance with quality and technical standards, set out by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) have resulted in a sense of uncertainty as to the acceptance of their certification in the overseas markets. The number of labs that are able to do the job with proper international accreditation is few; hence labs are not in a position to cater to the requirements of a cross-section of products.
Bangladeshi products that are currently faced with entry barriers due to testing inadequacies at home include pharmaceuticals, processed food products, spices, shrimps and frozen foods, leather and leather goods, to name some of the major ones. In the absence of the facility, local manufacturers are forced to send their products abroad for the required tests and compliance certification. By all means, this is very expensive and renders the exported products less competitive. With the much sought-after recognition from international agencies coming its way, the BAB should now put its acts together to ensure that its certification serves the purpose right.