As Bangladesh's export trade is practically dominated by a single item -Readymade Garments- its diversification has become a top government priority. In fiscal year 2018-19 the country produced 26.7 million tons of vegetables. This marked a 37.63 per cent rise in production in five years since FY 2013-14. Evidently, use of modern technology and hybrid varieties of vegetables lay behind this success.
Data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB)'s shows that, in FY20, Bangladesh earned US$164 million from vegetable exports. This means the sector's export potential is huge seeing that Bangladeshi vegetables are exported to some 118 countries.
However, the export of vegetables this year suffered not due to any production loss attributable to the pandemic. On the contrary, it is the skyrocketing air freight charge-the air freight charge more than doubled to US$4.0 a kg from a maximum of US$1.80 in FY20. As the number of freighters was few while the fees they charged to carry the cargo of vegetables to Europe and other destinations were too high, the amounts exported to those markets this fiscal registered an 80 per cent decline. In fact, between July and February of FY21, the quantity of vegetables that could finally reach the overseas markets was 55 per cent less than what it was during the same period in the previous fiscal (FY20).
Obviously, this decline in export was due to communication disruption caused by the pandemic. The Indian and Vietnamese vegetable exporters, on the other hand, took full advantage of the situation as they had their separate air freighters to carry their vegetable cargoes to the overseas markets.
In this context, Bangladesh Biman can make a difference by providing the local vegetable exporters with separate cargo freighter. Had Biman been able to make such an arrangement this fiscal, Bangladesh's summer vegetables could be supplied to their European consumers where those are very popular. However, Bangladeshi vegetables, especially cabbage and potato, could make it to the Asian markets, especially in the Far East and the Middle East by sea routes at a far cheaper cost. That was because the freight charge in the ocean going vessels remained rather steady and low at US$500 per 22 tonnes.
Source: thefinancialexpress.com.bd
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April 02, 2021 at 07:35PM
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