Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, the minister for agriculture and for fisheries and livestock, has promised that all barriers to exporting mangoes and other farm produce will be removed.

He said this as chief guest at the inauguration of mango exports at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday 21 May. The event was organised by the Exportable Mango Production Project.

Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said Bangladesh's agriculture sector is one of the most promising sectors of the economy and there is huge scope to earn foreign currency by exporting farm produce. Although Bangladesh is one of the countries best suited to growing farm produce, he said, the sector has still not reached the expected level because of some policy and legal complications.

The minister said the government is giving agriculture and farmers top priority and implementing various development programmes. Initiatives such as family cards for farmers, loan waivers and canal digging are playing an important role in agricultural development.

He said government support and subsidies are very important for staying competitive in international markets, and developed countries also subsidise agriculture heavily. At the same time he stressed the use of modern farm technology and maintaining product quality as the main conditions for success in international markets.

Referring to the potential for exporting jackfruit to China, the minister said China has shown interest in importing jackfruit from Bangladesh on a large scale. But he stressed the need to build a modern packing and quality control system in Bangladesh to ensure international standards.

Stressing the preservation of the taste and quality of Bangladesh's native fruits, he urged scientists to work on improving fruit colour, shelf life and storability according to market demand. But he warned that no genetic change should be made that spoils a fruit's natural taste.

He named high air cargo fares as one of the main problems of the export sector and said solving it would be given top priority.

On food safety, the minister said that in international markets today, assurance of safe food matters as much as taste. If proper quality control and safe production can be ensured, Bangladesh will be able to build a strong position in global markets. In future, he said, mangoes and other farm produce will become one of Bangladesh's main sources of foreign currency, and he called on producers, exporters and everyone involved to work together to reach that goal.

The event was chaired by Abdur Rahim, director general of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). Agriculture Secretary Dr Rafiqul E Mohamed and Md Selim Khan, additional secretary (extension) of the agriculture ministry, also spoke. Project director Mohammad Arifur Rahman presented a keynote paper on the potential and actual achievements of mango exports.

Earlier the minister inaugurated the mango exports, and afterwards he handed Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certificates to mango growers who follow GAP.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.