Export of fruits, vegetables shows outstanding performance
Monday, 16 May 2011
Yasir Wardad
Fruits and vegetables are leading the export track of agricultural products by showing an outstanding performance in first ten months of the current fiscal year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The export earning could be increased manifold if a few initiatives were taken, exporters said. The agricultural products maintained their export track by exporting items worth $ 266.91 against the target of $213.84 million from July to April of 2010-11 fiscal year (FY) which indicated an 18.08 per cent growth compared to the matching period of 2009-10FY. Fruits, vegetables, dry food and tobacco maintained their firm growth while fruits exhibited a tremendous increase compared to the figure of the previous year, according to the EPB. According to the EPB, the country exported jackfruit, pineapple, mango, lemon, guava, lychee, lotkon, elephant foot apple, Indian olive, blackberry, pomelo, wood apple, etc. The fruit industry earned $30.28 million against the target of $16.09 million, nearly 124 per cent growth compared to the July-April period of the last fiscal (2009-10) when fruits worth $13.52 million were exported. Vegetables achieved a substantial growth in July-April of 2010-11FY by making exports worth $ 52.14 million against the target of $39.54 million, a 48.13 per cent rise compared to the corresponding period of the previous year (2009-10FY) when exports worth $35.20 million were made. The country shipped vegetables like okra, long bean, French bean, green hot chilli, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, cucumber, teasle gourd, pointed gourd, snake gourd, taro, etc to different countries, the Export Promotion Bureau said. Shipment of dry food has also shown an outstanding performance by achieving a 52.39 per cent increase. Around $ 23.24 million worth of dry foods were shipped from July to April in 2010-11 FY against the target of $19.37 million when the export was worth $15.25 million in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. President of the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters 'Association (BFVAPEA) SM Jahangir Hossain proposed some reformations to increase export manifold. He said, the national flag carrier 'Bangladesh Biman' has now no cargo facility to carry their products to different international destinations. "The export of fresh fruits, vegetables and allied products could be much increased if cargo spaces were adequately maintained" he said. He also said that the exporters also lacks a 'central warehouse'. "We are yet away from entering the supermarkets of the countries where we export our products. The government should immediately set up a central warehouse of international standard to boost the growth of the sector," Mr Jahangir said. "We have our own warehouses but they are not enough to store vegetables for a longer period", he added. Tobacco has achieved nearly 50 per cent growth by making export worth $62.69 million. Cut flower exporters hardly maintained the track by making export worth $33.67 million, 4.34 per cent more compared to the previous year (July to April, 2009-10) when export worth $32.27 million was made. The overall export of the agricultural products was worth $242.35 million in 2009-10 FY while the target for the running fiscal (2010-11FY) had been set at $266 million.
Fruits and vegetables are leading the export track of agricultural products by showing an outstanding performance in first ten months of the current fiscal year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The export earning could be increased manifold if a few initiatives were taken, exporters said. The agricultural products maintained their export track by exporting items worth $ 266.91 against the target of $213.84 million from July to April of 2010-11 fiscal year (FY) which indicated an 18.08 per cent growth compared to the matching period of 2009-10FY. Fruits, vegetables, dry food and tobacco maintained their firm growth while fruits exhibited a tremendous increase compared to the figure of the previous year, according to the EPB. According to the EPB, the country exported jackfruit, pineapple, mango, lemon, guava, lychee, lotkon, elephant foot apple, Indian olive, blackberry, pomelo, wood apple, etc. The fruit industry earned $30.28 million against the target of $16.09 million, nearly 124 per cent growth compared to the July-April period of the last fiscal (2009-10) when fruits worth $13.52 million were exported. Vegetables achieved a substantial growth in July-April of 2010-11FY by making exports worth $ 52.14 million against the target of $39.54 million, a 48.13 per cent rise compared to the corresponding period of the previous year (2009-10FY) when exports worth $35.20 million were made. The country shipped vegetables like okra, long bean, French bean, green hot chilli, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, cucumber, teasle gourd, pointed gourd, snake gourd, taro, etc to different countries, the Export Promotion Bureau said. Shipment of dry food has also shown an outstanding performance by achieving a 52.39 per cent increase. Around $ 23.24 million worth of dry foods were shipped from July to April in 2010-11 FY against the target of $19.37 million when the export was worth $15.25 million in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. President of the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters 'Association (BFVAPEA) SM Jahangir Hossain proposed some reformations to increase export manifold. He said, the national flag carrier 'Bangladesh Biman' has now no cargo facility to carry their products to different international destinations. "The export of fresh fruits, vegetables and allied products could be much increased if cargo spaces were adequately maintained" he said. He also said that the exporters also lacks a 'central warehouse'. "We are yet away from entering the supermarkets of the countries where we export our products. The government should immediately set up a central warehouse of international standard to boost the growth of the sector," Mr Jahangir said. "We have our own warehouses but they are not enough to store vegetables for a longer period", he added. Tobacco has achieved nearly 50 per cent growth by making export worth $62.69 million. Cut flower exporters hardly maintained the track by making export worth $33.67 million, 4.34 per cent more compared to the previous year (July to April, 2009-10) when export worth $32.27 million was made. The overall export of the agricultural products was worth $242.35 million in 2009-10 FY while the target for the running fiscal (2010-11FY) had been set at $266 million.