Bangladesh hopes EU may relax shrimp testing requirements based on latest visit

The success of the country was revealed in the recent draft report, prepared by the European Union (EU) Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) team. The team visited the country from March 24 to April 01 this year.

The draft report said: 'Improvements were seen in the residue monitoring system particularly in the laboratories. In contrast to the findings in 2010, the analytical methods used for the residue monitoring programme in crustaceans and for the pre-export testing are now validated and fit for purpose.'

The EU authority has sent the draft report to the Department of Fisheries (DoF) last week. The EU also downsized its list of recommendations, which are not fully addressed by the country's authority, to four from twelve of last year.

'We have improved much in all our aquaculture compliances that the last EU FVO team recommended, and it is reflected in the draft report,' Shamsul Kibria, joint secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), told the FE Friday.

'We will take measures to comply with the four recommendations, suggested in the draft report, within this year. We will provide our response to the EU authority regarding our initiatives to fulfil those recommendations by this month, and also request them to withdraw the stringent testing measure.'

'It's a matter of time, and we hope that the EU authority will take its decision in our favour, as the draft report has said about our improvements in residue control and fulfilling their other requirements,' Mr Kibria said.

Echoing the MoFL official, Mahbubur Rahman, director general of DoF, said though the report does not give any hint regarding the withdrawal of the 20 per cent stringent mandatory testing requirement, it will help us raise the issue of withdrawal to the EU authority.

The DoF chief said: 'We are now confident and hopeful about the withdrawal of the 20 per cent testing requirement, following our improvements.'

Exporters say withdrawal of the 20 per cent testing requirement that the EU authority had imposed on Bangladeshi shrimp export since July 15 last year, largely depends on the report of the team.

'This time the report will help exporters to seek justice from the EU authority,' an exporter said.

The exporters and officials have termed the visit as crucial for the shrimp industry, saying it would determine the fate of the country's third largest foreign currency earning item.

In 2010, local exporters received only four rapid alerts, while the number was 54 in 2009. It also proves the country's efficiency in complying with the foreign buyers' demands, the exporter said.

During the ten-day visit, the team scrutinised the present situation in residue control in living animals and animal products, and the control of veterinary medicinal products. The measures are seen as key requirements for export of shrimps to the 27 EU countries.

The DoF said during the visit the EU delegation monitored whether the country's fish farms, landing stations, depots and processing plants have enforced some key health and hygiene standards, suggested during its visit early last year.

The EU is the largest importer of Bangladeshi shrimps, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the shipments made last year. The country exported shrimps worth $470.53 million in the July-March period of 2010-11 fiscal, recording a robust growth of 58 per cent.

Shrimp farming is one of the key sources of employment in the country's south-western coastal region. The country's 130 shrimp processing plants and tens of thousands of farms employ over one million people.

By Monira Munni