Govt takes new steps to boost vegetables export

The government has initiated a set of measures including installation of cooling chain and ensuring quality to help boost the country's export of vegetables, especially in the European Union (EU) countries, officials said.
Besides, it has taken decisions to cancel business licences, if traders submit fake testing certificates while exporting the items as well as to involve the private sector in the process of issuing phyto-sanitary certificate.
The government has also asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the National Quarantine Authority to work in a coordinated manner at the airports to facilitate shipment of vegetable goods.  
"We've taken some decisions to increase export of vegetables. We've requested the Ministry of Agriculture to set up cooling chain to preserve vegetables and fruits for exporting those to the EU and other countries," Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, senior secretary of the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), told the FE.  
The decisions were taken at a meeting at MoC recently, following fall in export of fruits and vegetables from Bangladesh to the EU and other countries in recent times due to complexities regarding phyto-sanitary certification.
The EU sent back some consignments of fruits and vegetables from Bangladesh, as those did not have phyto-sanitary certification.
The EU also threatened to put a ban on import of fruits and vegetables from the country after harmful worm and bacteria were found in those food items.
"The volume of vegetables export was nearly Tk 10 billion in different countries during the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15. Out of the total export about 42-45 percent fruits and vegetables were exported to Europe," S M Jahangir Hossain, president of Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association (BFVAPEA), told the FE.
He demanded allowing adequate space in cargo and reducing air shipment expenses in exporting vegetables. Local fresh vegetable and fruit exporters are now facing stiff competition from their counterparts of Pakistan, India and Kenya in exporting items to the Middle-East markets, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.
However, they hope that despite the fall in export of vegetables they would be able to increase shipments, if they get modern processing facilities.
On June 26, the EU extended the period of ban on importing betel leaf from Bangladesh by one year. Now it will remain effective until June 2016.
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