AccreditedLaboratories’Status and Agro.Product Export to EU & UK

Dr. Jagot Chand Malaker:The father of the nation Bangabandhu had a strong dream to establish Bangladesh which will be free from hunger and poverty and to revive the Bangla as Sonar Bangla. After the independence, the leader took revolutionary steps for reformation of the agricultural sector of the country. He put special emphasis on agricultural education, research, extension, industries and markets. He waived agricultural credit for marginal farmers. To encourage innovative and talented students to study agriculture, he upgraded first class status of the agriculturist profession.

Bangladesh is an agriculture country and the agriculture sector contributes 14.75% to GDP. Bangladesh achieved self-sufficiency in food crops production. The annual rice production is 34.71Million MT. Bangladesh exported 346.25 million USD agro products including fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen food items, spices, aromatic rice, dry foods, stuff, flowers, seeds, live trees, etc., to various EU countries in FY 2020. Farmers of our country are the main contributor of our resilience food systems. Regarding production farmers played vital role to feed us as well as whole nation. We have to ensure good agricultural practices (GAP) in the production levels to get safe and resilience food systems as well as safe exportable items of agricultural products. Bangladesh has already taken many steps towards reducing poverty and making its food system more resilience but there are still some measures that must be taken by the country.

We have many challenges on food safety issues. Therefore, we may need your practical training support to develop efficient & competent laboratories staff. In addition, assistance in risk-based inspections and risk management regulatory framework is also being sought to upgrade the plant quarantine wing (PQW)of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) into and independent National Plant Quarantine Authority (NPQA)
In FY 2020, the country exported USD 346.25 million worth of products such as fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen food items, spices, aromatic rice, dry foods, stuff, flowers, seeds, live trees, etc., to various EU countries including UK, Italy, French, Greece, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Netherland, Ireland and Belgium
There is no crop sector plant quarantine accredited laboratory in Bangladesh only Pesticides Analytical laboratory, BARI, Gazipur for pesticides. It is very urgent need set many crop sector plant quarantine accredited laboratories for addressing noncompliance issues of importer countries to boost exports of agro products of Bangladesh.

List of Bangladesh Accredited Board (BAB) Accredited Food and Agricultural product Testing Laboratories.

1. SGS (Bangladesh) Limited, Dhaka
2. Fish Inspection and Quality Control Laboratory, Dhaka Lab
3. Nestle  Sreepur QA Laboratory, Nestle Bangladesh Ltd
4. Fish Inspection and Quality Control Laboratory (FIQC), Chattogram
5. Fish Inspection and Quality Control Laboratory (FIQC) Khulna
6. Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Atomic Energy Center, Dhaka
7. Testing Laboratory, BSTI
8. Pesticides Analytical laboratory, BARI, Gazipur
9. Institute of National Analytical Research and Services, BCSIR
10. National Food Safety Laboratory, IPH, Dhaka
11. WAFFEN Research Laboratory, Dhaka
12. Quality Control Laboratory, DLS, Dhaka
13. M N T Seed Testing Laboratory, Gazipur

Ongoing plan
The following activities have taken:
Government has approved a project entitled “Upgradation of Existing Plant Quarantine Laboratory Project” to ensure safe export of agricultural products and increased export up to 25 to 30 percent, develop trained laboratory staff and to ensure and explore market more opportunities in Europe and Middle East. Another formation of a Draft Project Proposal (DPP) for establishment of" National Agriculture Laboratory" at Purbachol, Dhaka, Bangladesh. FAO is  providing consultancy and other assistance for DPP layout.

Bangladesh’s Position in the world ranking:3rd in Rice Production,2nd in Jute production ,1st in Jute Export, 3rd in Vegetable Production, 3rd in Onion Production, 4th in Tea Production, 8th in Potato Production, 7th in Mango Production, 8th in Guava Production,28th in Fruit Production,1st in Crop Variety.

During the production period of vegetables and fruits due to low market price and lack of well communicated transport facilities and cool storage facilities, huge amounts fresh vegetables are damaged. So attention should be given to save fresh vegetables fruits. So process industry should be developed and also create the export opportunity.

During the production period of vegetables and fruits due to low market price and lack of well communicated transport facilities and cool storage facilities, huge amounts fresh vegetables are damaged. So attention should be given to save fresh vegetables fruits. So process industry should be developed and also create the export opportunity.

Support need to mitigate the challenges for Export/ Import of Agriculture Commodities
Need support for establishment of National Plant Quarantine Authority (NPQA) which is laid down in Plant Quarantine Act, 2011 following the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) because there are gaps in the Plant Quarantine Act, 2011, act number (3). Need support  to PQW by  providing  training  and technical  assistance  to  focal  points  who  collect  and  disseminate update information, and consistently respond to enquiries on the country’s trade portal and enquiry points.

Need support to establish an accreditation laboratories system for public and private laboratories that sets sampling procedures that are harmonized across the PQW’s RM system and that meet ISO 17025 (or if newer one) standards  and the requirements of international standard-setting bodies.

Need venture support in building, and operate large-scale cold storage facilities at key air and sea ports and also in the production areas. Training on Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) and eradication procedure

Exportable items of UK& EU countries
• Vegetables: Bottle gourd, ash gourd, arum, taro, stolon, stem of colocasia, leaves of colocasia, banana flower, plantain (kacha kola), papaya, pumpkin, drum stick, coriander, country bean, country bean seed, onion leaves, teasel gourd, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, green chili, hot chili, radish, cucumber, ridge gourd, snake gourd, amaranthas, red amaranths, okra, cabbage, turmeric, eggplant, betel leaf etc.
• Fruits: Mango, jackfruit, Banana olive, hough palm, zara lemon, guava, tamarind, palm, wood apple, anola, Indian dellinia, toikar, sapota, egg fruit (dephol), sugarcane, coconut.
• Handicrafts and Frozen food items, spices, fine aromatic rice dry foods, stuff, flowers, seeds, and live trees, etc
• Agro products including fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen food items, spices, aromatic rice, dry foods, stuff, flowers, seeds, live trees, etc.
• Countries to Export: UK, Italy, French, Greece, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Netherland, Ireland and Belgium
• To import fresh vegetables, fruits and aromatic rice from Bangladesh and re-export these items to different countries of EU and UK.
• To import processed food items (puffed rice, chips, candy, mango bar, fruit juice, spices from Bangladesh and re-export these items to different countries of EU and UK.
• Export of frozen items (Ready Bread/ Rooti, different types of cakes, somocha, singara, vegetables, green mango, jute leaves etc.

Conclusion:
We very nice natural resources like clear sun light, fertile soil, seasonal variations, rainfall, coherent temperature for agricultural production and no significant stress of climate. Recently we are very successfully growing high value crops eg. Dragon fruits, Malta, Orange, Cashew Nut, Coffee, Melon etc  If Africa can export to UK hope we can exports our agro products if we have a proper international standard certification systems (Laboratory), cool chain maintain at all level. Now many Agro products including fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen food items, spices, aromatic rice, dry foods, stuff, flowers, seeds, live trees, etc are exporting.

Production of fruits and vegetables through Contract Farming with maintaining Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) and traceability. Standard Operating System (SoP), Cargo plane/Chattered plane with available space for agricultural goods for exports, agricultural goods plane fair should be adjusted with neighboring countries (Asian).Official staff and exporter’s skill have to develop. Exporters and farmers registration system have to develop. Modernization of PQ stations and their laboratories have to develop. Training on Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) and eradication procedure would be ensured. Need support in strengthening  risk  management  (RM)  systems  by  upgrading  and  connecting  IT systems,  providing  IT hardware  when necessary,  and by  building the  capacity  of  PQW staff to implement and enforce new sample-based testing procedures and by coordinating training in food safety, RM, and surveillance techniques. Need to establish a Plant Quarantine Training Hub. If we want to export mango in Japan Vapour Heat Treatment (VHT) facilities should be developed. Need to develop many plant quarantine laboratories (accredited) for getting certificate before safe export and establish more packing houses to ensure riskless export to UK and Europe. Here private sector should come forward. During the production period of vegetables and fruits due to low market price and lack of well communicated transport facilities and cool storage facilities, huge amounts fresh vegetables are damaged. So attention should be given to save fresh vegetables fruits. So process industry should be developed and also create the export opportunity. Also Netherlands can import different fresh vegetables, fruits and frozen items (Ready Bread/ Rooti, different types of cakes, somocha, singara, green mango, jute leaves, processed food items (puffed rice, chips, candy, mango bar, fruit juice, spices from Bangladesh and re-export these items to different countries of EU and UK.

Therefore, we may need your practical training support to develop efficient & competent lab staff. We have to ensure good agricultural practices (GAP) and traceability in the production levels to get safe and resilience food systems as well as safe exportable items of agricultural products. During production we have to produce through producer groups, ensure GAP and ensure traceability also improve packaging systems. If we fulfill all criteria there have another scope to reach Netherlands’ (NL) market, because huge amounts agro products imported by NL and NL re exports to other countries. So, Private sector should come forward to set accredited laboratories, automated packing and process house to boost exports of agro products of Bangladesh.

Writter: Project  Director
Department of Agricultural Extension, Khamarbari, Dhaka -1215, Bangladesh.