Fruits exports nosedive on tight scrutiny

Fruits and vegetables shipment witnessed a decline in first two months of the current financial year as the government tightened monitoring after warning from the European Union over safety in Bangladeshi farm produces, insiders said.
Fruits and vegetable export witnessed 68 per cent and 6.0 per cent fall respectively in July-August of 2015 financial year, according to Export Promotion Bureau data.

Fruits export was $3.01 million while vegetable exporters earned $22.35 million in the same period.
However, overall farm export showed a 14.3 per cent growth with non-traditional produces leading the shipment.
The agricultural sector brought in US$104 million in the same period of the FY'15, up from $91 million in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year, the EPB data showed.
Non-traditional agro products exports increased by nearly 50 per cent in the first two months of the current financial year, compared with those of last fiscal year.
The sub-sector fetched US $48 million in July-August period, which was $32 million in the same period of FY'14.
Dry food export also showed a tremendous growth of 107 per cent during the period as the sector fetched $12.60 million, which was only $6.10 million in the corresponding period of FY'14.
Flower and tobacco shipment also witnessed fall by 59 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in the first two months of the FY'15.
The tea sector is improving gradually and showed a tremendous 700 per cent growth.
Export receipts from vegetables and fruits sectors was $209 million combined in FY'14--- 34 per cent of the total export income from agricultural products,  the EPB data said.
Sector insiders said that tight measures taken by the government have caused a plunge in export of fruits and vegetables in recent times.
The European Union in June this year warned that it will restrict shipment of vegetables and fruits from Bangladesh if the country fails to ensure pest-free exports.
The warning comes in the face of rising incidents of pest detection in export consignment from Bangladesh, and fraudulence in phytosanitary certificates that confirm shipment has met certain requirements of importers.
The EU countries have found such certificates fake or missing in a number of consignments, according to a letter sent to the government by the European Commission's Health and Consumers Directorate-General.
The EC said a ban will be imposed if corrective measures are not taken before September 30.
The bloc considers gourds, eggplants, citruses and amaranthus to be critical commodities that contained harmful organisms, an EPB official said.
He said more than half of the farm products' exports are meant for the EU, mainly the United Kingdom, followed by the Middle East.
However, in response to the warning of EU, the agriculture ministry sent an action plan to the European authority, citing that it would make contract farming mandatory for the exporters.
The government has also suspended issuance of certificates for three exporters to stop fraudulent practices, an official at the agriculture ministry said
In addition, the government has taken initiative to construct a central warehouse for exportable fresh produce, according to the action plan.
The plant protection wing under the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has increased the number of inspectors at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to check every consignment before shipment, the official said.
He said the recent tight measures, taken by the government may have caused decline in fruits and vegetable exports.
SM Jahangir Hossain, president of Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters' Association, lambasted the government agencies at the airport for poor monitoring and vigilance of export consignments.
He said Bangladeshi agro produce exporters are always determined to deliver the best produces.
"The government should just prevent the sector from few unscrupulous peoples," he said.  
Agriculture exports brought in a record US$615 million in 2014 fiscal compared with $535.74 million in FY'13, posting a 15 per cent growth, EPB data showed.

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