Fish exporters to start awareness campaigns at district level
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Monira Munni
The country's fish and shrimp exporters will start district-based massive awareness increasing campaigns to ensure and improve quality of local fish and shrimp, a vital requirement of the EU to match aquaculture alliances, officials said Saturday. They said all stakeholders of the sector, including fish farmers, processors, exporters and district government officials, would be brought under one umbrella to make the programme successful. The country's fish and shrimp exporters have taken the initiative, as the sector has to abide by 20 per cent stringent testing requirement by the EU's authorities concerned from July last year. The awareness raising campaign will start from the middle of May in eight upazilas of Khulna district, said the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA) Khulna region vice president Mohammad Abdul Baki. "At first, we will start the campaign from Khulna to ensure quality of shrimp and fish items, which is the main requirement of the European Union (EU) and other countries," he told the FE. "There is no alternative of ensuring quality of the export-oriented fish and shrimp to match the foreign buyers' requirements and remain competitive in the global market," he added. The district-base campaigns will help us integrate all stakeholders of the fish export sector, and make them aware of various issues, like the buyers' requirements, market demands, and safety and quality of fish items, he explained. "We are trying to motivate the farmers and bring all the inputs of the sector, including drugs and feed, under strict supervision, so that no harmful component is found in the exported fish and shrimp," he said. Under the campaign, leaflet, brochure, banner, poster etc will be published. Besides, seminars and discussions on quality control and increasing production will be held. "The programme will also help the stakeholders to brand the sector and uplift the country's image abroad," he added.
The country's fish and shrimp exporters will start district-based massive awareness increasing campaigns to ensure and improve quality of local fish and shrimp, a vital requirement of the EU to match aquaculture alliances, officials said Saturday. They said all stakeholders of the sector, including fish farmers, processors, exporters and district government officials, would be brought under one umbrella to make the programme successful. The country's fish and shrimp exporters have taken the initiative, as the sector has to abide by 20 per cent stringent testing requirement by the EU's authorities concerned from July last year. The awareness raising campaign will start from the middle of May in eight upazilas of Khulna district, said the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA) Khulna region vice president Mohammad Abdul Baki. "At first, we will start the campaign from Khulna to ensure quality of shrimp and fish items, which is the main requirement of the European Union (EU) and other countries," he told the FE. "There is no alternative of ensuring quality of the export-oriented fish and shrimp to match the foreign buyers' requirements and remain competitive in the global market," he added. The district-base campaigns will help us integrate all stakeholders of the fish export sector, and make them aware of various issues, like the buyers' requirements, market demands, and safety and quality of fish items, he explained. "We are trying to motivate the farmers and bring all the inputs of the sector, including drugs and feed, under strict supervision, so that no harmful component is found in the exported fish and shrimp," he said. Under the campaign, leaflet, brochure, banner, poster etc will be published. Besides, seminars and discussions on quality control and increasing production will be held. "The programme will also help the stakeholders to brand the sector and uplift the country's image abroad," he added.