Editorial
Response to EU Ban
The European Union has decided to impose a ban on frozen foods from Bangladesh. Consignments of such foods reaching member-countries by August 15 next will however be accepted after necessary bacteriological tests. But no such cargo calling at an European port after that date will be welcome. The decision, contends the EU, has been taken on the basis of a report filed by a EU team of experts that visited fish processing plants in Bangladesh recently. Here the bone of contention is the quality of sea products. While the EU team found the entire processing of the sea food--from capturing of fry to shipment--below the EU-approved level, the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association comes up with the counter argument that it has spent Tk 100 crore to improve the physical facilities of the plants.
The team visited Bangladesh last month and there is little likelihood that the plants could invest such a huge amount for their improvements in so short a time. If the improvement they refer to was effected before the visit, clearly it was not up to the EU's desired standards. Reportedly, the EU has been pressing for a radical improvement in plant environment for the past three years. Clearly this has not been given the attention it deserved. Why?
The EU, according to reports, is ready to grant Bangladesh a grace period upto November 15 for improving its product quality in compliance with the union's regulations. Another EU team will visit at the end of November to monitor the progress. Now while we need to improve the fish processing conditions in double-quick time, we must also try to impress upon the EU member countries through diplomatic channels that in the interregnum they accept our cargoes subject to fulfilment of other requirement. They can do so cagily after having satisfied them selves about the quality by subjecting our sea foods to their standard bacteriological tests. This is not to ask for any favour but to request for a review of the abrasive ban. Not all processing plants should fall foul on quality. Why penalise indiscriminately?
Seafood being our second largest export sector, foreign exchange earner after the garments, with a 10 per cent tally of our annual forex income should not be allowed to suffer so badly. It is important that we remove the slightest cause for complaint from the importing parties and regain their goodwill.
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