US team inspecting local shrimp processing plants
Saturday, 18 October 2008
Doulot Akter Mala
A US immigration and customs enforcement mission has been carrying out inspection in the country's shrimp industries to monitor involvement of child labour and quality issues.
"The team has collected a list of those companies that have exported a huge volume of shrimp to the US in the last few years. It is scrutinising the involvement of child labour, wages and quality issues in the shrimp industries," said a competent source.
The six-member US government team arrived in the country on October 5 last. It will visit the shrimp processing industries until October 23 next, said the source.
The US mission will visit the major shrimp processing plants in Dhaka, Khulna and Chittagong.
The mission that is now in Dhaka will inspect the shrimp industries in Khulna on October 19-23 next.
The team, accompanied by officials of US embassy in Bangladesh, will give a brief report after their inspection, the source said.
Country's further export of shrimp to US market will largely depend on the report of the high-power US government team, he said.
When contacted over phone, the US embassy officials have declined to comment on this issue, as the team is not carrying out inspection publicly.
Ibrahim Rahmatullah, a leading shrimp exporter who also accompanied the team in Chittagong, said: "The US mission has been inspecting existing labour rights issues in the shrimp processing plants."
They have visited a number of shrimp processing plants. So far they have not found any loopholes in the plants, he claimed.
"Industry owners are now conscious about employing child labour as the government restricted their involvement in such kind of jobs," he said.
Shrimp exporters said overall shrimp export to the US market alone declined by around 10 per cent following the strict measure of the US government coupled with the global financial turmoil.
In 2006-07, the country exported shrimp worth US$ 175 million to the US market but the export declined to $145 million in 2007-08.
The sector has been facing different restrictive measures from the two largest importers -- European Union (EU) and the US.
A EU inspection team is also due in the next month (November) to monitor the food safety issues.
Earlier, the EU head office warned the Bangladeshi shrimp exporters that it might impose ban on import of shrimp from the country if the team found any loopholes on quality issues.
Last year, the country exported shrimp worth $ 534 million that fell short of target by $ 66 million.
A US immigration and customs enforcement mission has been carrying out inspection in the country's shrimp industries to monitor involvement of child labour and quality issues.
"The team has collected a list of those companies that have exported a huge volume of shrimp to the US in the last few years. It is scrutinising the involvement of child labour, wages and quality issues in the shrimp industries," said a competent source.
The six-member US government team arrived in the country on October 5 last. It will visit the shrimp processing industries until October 23 next, said the source.
The US mission will visit the major shrimp processing plants in Dhaka, Khulna and Chittagong.
The mission that is now in Dhaka will inspect the shrimp industries in Khulna on October 19-23 next.
The team, accompanied by officials of US embassy in Bangladesh, will give a brief report after their inspection, the source said.
Country's further export of shrimp to US market will largely depend on the report of the high-power US government team, he said.
When contacted over phone, the US embassy officials have declined to comment on this issue, as the team is not carrying out inspection publicly.
Ibrahim Rahmatullah, a leading shrimp exporter who also accompanied the team in Chittagong, said: "The US mission has been inspecting existing labour rights issues in the shrimp processing plants."
They have visited a number of shrimp processing plants. So far they have not found any loopholes in the plants, he claimed.
"Industry owners are now conscious about employing child labour as the government restricted their involvement in such kind of jobs," he said.
Shrimp exporters said overall shrimp export to the US market alone declined by around 10 per cent following the strict measure of the US government coupled with the global financial turmoil.
In 2006-07, the country exported shrimp worth US$ 175 million to the US market but the export declined to $145 million in 2007-08.
The sector has been facing different restrictive measures from the two largest importers -- European Union (EU) and the US.
A EU inspection team is also due in the next month (November) to monitor the food safety issues.
Earlier, the EU head office warned the Bangladeshi shrimp exporters that it might impose ban on import of shrimp from the country if the team found any loopholes on quality issues.
Last year, the country exported shrimp worth $ 534 million that fell short of target by $ 66 million.