Speakers at a meeting on Wednesday said that Bangladesh, being a Commonwealth member state, has a huge scope for boosting export of agricultural items to the UK market through availing duty-free and quota-free access facilities.
But for this, they suggested the government and the policymakers to ensure international standard accredited lab certificates, diversification in export items, quality control from the production stage to shipment, packaging and supplying bacteria free product through maintaining due standards, emphasis on contract and zone farming and building separate special economic zone for the agri processed industries.
The agri sector entrepreneurs and experts came up with such observations at a stakeholders' consultative meeting on "Expansion of agricultural items to UK market" held at the Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University organized by private research firm Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID).
Moderated by RAPID executive director Prof Abu Eusuf, Commerce Ministry additional secretary (export wing) Abdur Rahim Khan spoke on the occasion as the chief guest. RAPID chairman MA Razzaque presented the keynote paper.
Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) director general Shah Mohammad Mahbub, Pran Group managing director Ilias Mridha, British High Commission programme manager Shahrukh Shakir spoke, among others, on the occasion.
Commerce Ministry additional secretary Abdur Rahim Khan said that the export of agricultural items could be raised up to $5 billion if the capacity of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) could be enhanced.
He informed that the Ministry of Commerce has proposed for setting up a warehouse at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for maintaining the quality of fisheries and agricultural items.
In his presentation, Razzaque said that Bangladesh has scope for boosting exports to the UK market under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme of the UK.
He said that the exports of Bangladeshi items to the UK in the last fiscal year reached $5 billion of which only $14 million came from agricultural items. "There is a scope for boosting export of agricultural items there through availing the existing trade facilities."
