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Body to aid frozen food sector in the making

Iraq war, 'propaganda' exact high prices on export

RAFIQ HASAN
The government has decided to form a body to work out a bailout plan for the frozen food sector, dogged by war on Iraq and 'propaganda' in the international media.
Members of the committee, to be comprised of representatives from all stakeholders in the sector, will visit shrimp cultivation areas and processing units to observe the environmental, quality control and child labour issues.
They will also ensure quality of export items and formally send factual data to the international media, sources privy to the meeting said.
The decision to form the permanent committee, to be headed by
joint secretary (export) of commerce ministry, came at a meeting on Sunday.
A section of local nongovernmental organisations are providing information to international media depicting a picture of child labour, poor quality control and other environmental hazards in the Bangladeshi shrimp sector, said frozen food exporters, who attended the meeting.
"The price of frozen shrimp has been dipping because of the war. And such propaganda may bring further disaster, " said Quazi Monirul Haq, president of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA).
Commerce Secretary Suhel Ahmed presided over the meeting,
which was attended by BFFEA President Quazi Monirul Haq and former president Golam Mostafa. Officials of commerce and fisheries and livestock ministries also attended the meeting.
According to the BFFEA president, price of frozen shrimp has plummeted by around 20 per cent in the international market since the war began in Iraq.
The price of 16-20 inches of shrimps fell from an earlier $5 to $4.30 per pound, according to sources.
Some quarters in Europe have urged their respective governments to impose ban on frozen foods including shrimp from Bangladesh, the sources said.
Their appeal followed some
negative stories published in the London Times and The Guardian of the UK last month.
The frozen food exporters brought the issue to the government's notice and called for measures to counteract the propaganda.
In the first seven months of the current fiscal, Bangladesh earned US$ 207 million by exporting frozen foods. The government has a target to fetch US$ 320 million from the sector this fiscal year.
Frozen food exporters hoped the target will be achieved if the government takes immediate measures for negating the propaganda and building a positive image abroad.