Bangladesh will resume exporting fresh betel leaves to the United Kingdom from Tuesday as the European Union has recently withdrawn the ban on export of the item.
After eight years of ban, the first consignment of one tonne betel leaves would be sent after Bangladesh confirmed that safe and salmonella-free leaves were being produced under the special supervision of its agriculture ministry.
Agriculture Minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque will inaugurate the fresh export at Shyampur Central Packaging House in Dhaka.
Before the issuance of the ban, the exporters earned $39.3 million from exporting betel leaves to the EU countries in the fiscal year 2013-14. They also received $11.3 million in FY 2014-15 by exporting betel leaves illegally under fruit and vegetable shipments, according to the commerce ministry.
Besides, the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data showed that the country earned $30,000 by exporting betel leaves to the Middle East and other countries in FY 2014-15.
Following the EU ban, the agriculture ministry took various initiatives including an action plan to ensure salmonella-free betel leaves export to the EU, USA and Saudi Arabia, said Shamsul Alam, Additional Director of Plant Quarantine Wing of the Directorate of Agricultural Extension.
He said now safe betel leaves were being produced by an agricultural farm Good Agricultural Practices under a contract. These initiatives helped the farmers produce safe betel leaves, he added.
“They DAE, GAP and BFVAPEA authorities have sent a letter to the EU to withdraw the ban on import of betel leaves to their countries. They also informed them that salmonella and other bacteria free betel leaves are being produced in Bangladesh,” he told The Business Post on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Fruit, Vegetable and Allied Products Exporters Association adviser Monjurul Islam said that farmers were producing exportable and safe betel leaves through contract farming
“We have sent all documents and samples of betel leaves to EU and they also scrutinised the information and told us that everything was positive,” he said.
The farmers are producing bacteria-free betel leaves since 2017 but they got an approval from the EU in the last month.
The association General Secretary Mohamamd Mansur said that the EU withdrew its ban on the export of betel leaves from Bangladesh in the last month.
Earlier in May 2013, the Ministry of Commerce of Bangladesh issued a ban on the export of betel leaves to the European countries. It issued the order followed by a request of the UK government to ban the import of betel leaves from Bangladesh after detecting harmful Salmonella bacteria in betel leaves.
Later, the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) also issued the ban on illegal exports of betel leaves under the shipments of food and vegetables and the ban extended in several times.
