Agri exports not growing due to capacity predicament: Webinar

Highlights

• Agricultural exports are not increasing for various reasons including that: export-oriented products are not being developed, there are complexities with certification, initiatives needed to regain lost markets are lacking, there is an inability to create new markets, and there is a dearth of research
• Sometimes there are complications in exporting certain products to some countries, which take a long time to solve. In this time, another country occupies that market and it takes a very long time to regain it
• An export wing has been set up in the Department of Agriculture Marketing, for regular research, from where exporters will get different types of cooperation
• They also said different zones or clusters need to be created to produce export-friendly products because different countries have different demands
• Farmers must be guaranteed a good price
• Traders claim that the air fare in Bangladesh is currently much higher than in other countries
• Bangladesh ranks third in vegetable production and eighth in fruit production
• The export of all agricultural products, processed and fresh, is about 2% and vegetables are only 0.41% of total exports

Agricultural sales experts have said Bangladesh lacks the capacity required to overcome the problems that prevent agricultural exports from growing.

Despite having export potential, agricultural exports are not increasing for various reasons including that: export-oriented products are not being developed, there are complexities with certification, initiatives needed to regain lost markets are lacking, there is an inability to create new markets, and there is a dearth of research.

Officials of various government departments involved in the export of agricultural products addressed these issues at a seminar titled "Problems and Prospects in the Export of Agricultural Products" organised by the Department of Agricultural Marketing on Monday.

SM Jahangir Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association (BFVAPEA), said, "Sometimes there are complications in exporting certain products to some countries, which take a long time to solve. In this time, another country occupies that market and it takes quite a long time to regain it."

He said Bangladesh has to be capable of solving the problems quickly so that the country does not lose the markets.

Mohammad Yusuf, director general of the Department of Agriculture Marketing, said, "Due to some obstacles, it is not possible to export vegetables and fruits even though there is a surplus in the country. Initiatives have been taken to solve the problems."

He added that an export wing has been set up in the department for regular research from where exporters will get different types of cooperation because the goal is to solve the problem, increase exports quickly and reduce imports.

On the occasion, the exporters of agricultural products said if there is an export barrier in an ongoing market, the market in alternative countries should be increased immediately. So, the demand, price, quality, etc., of a product must be taken into consideration. Time is also a crucial issue for agricultural products.

They also said different zones or clusters need to be created to produce export-friendly products because different countries have different demands. However, if one wants to get quality products from farmers, one must guarantee them a good price. Otherwise, the farmers will not be interested in production.

General Secretary of BFVAPEA Md Mansoor said there is no alternative to producing quality products for export.

Supply chain expert Mohammad Mujibul Haque said the problems in the supply chain which cause problems for exporters must be solved.

Traders also claimed that at present, the airfare in Bangladesh is much higher than in other countries, and should be aligned with other competitor countries.

According to the Department of Agricultural Marketing, Bangladesh ranks third in vegetable production and eighth in fruit production. However, the export of agricultural products, processed and fresh, is about 2% of total exports. The export of vegetables is only 0.41%.