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Set up auction market for shrimp

Frozen food exporters urge government

STAR BUSINESS REPORT
As a disorganised market and scarce supply of shrimps for processing are hindering the growth of shrimp sector, exporters yesterday urged the government to help set up auction markets in farming areas.
There is no central market from where processors can procure shrimps. They have to deal with middlemen who deprive farmers of fair prices, Quazi Monirul Haq, president of Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) said.
Addressing a press conference at the BFFEA office in Dhaka he said, due to a disorganised market and short supply of shrimps the processing plants are operating at only 20-25 per cent of their processing capacity.
At present there are 132 processing plants are working in Bangladesh's shrimp cultivation areas, especially Khulna, Bagerhat and Cox's Bazar districts.
Frozen foods, mainly shrimp, is the second largest export earning sector after ready-made garment. In 2001-'02, Bangladesh exported 32,451 metric tons of shrimp products.
The BFFEA president said quality of products could be checked by government inspectors at the auction markets which also need ice making, chill storage, transportation and administration and other infrastructural facilities.
"Auctioning of shrimps can be done electronically without physical presence of the buyers," he suggested.
The markets could be linked with processing plants so that processors could see how much shrimps of what size and quality are available," said Monirul Haq, also chairman and managing director of Sigma Sea Foods Ltd.
Food technologist Mike Urch, also editor and publisher of London-based trade magazine Sea Food International, and Iqbal Ahmed, chairman and chief executive of Seamark Group, UK, were present at the press conference.
Mike Urch and Iqbal Ahmed are now on a visit to Bangladesh to see fish processing plants, shrimp culture fields, hatcheries, transportation and other infrastructure facilities of frozen foods sector.
Stressing adequate infrastructure facilities Mike Urch said government and private investment are needed to build up such facili-
ties to ensure consistent and reliable supply of shrimps enabling the processors to plan their production efficiently.
He also suggested upgrading of roads to link ports with shrimp farming areas.
On quality assurance, he urged the Bangladeshi exporters to have their plants certified for ISO 2000 and the British Retail Consortium.
As the shrimp farming industry throughout the world is coming under increasing scrutiny, the food technologist urged the Bangladesh government and exporters to take initiatives so that exports meet all international standards.
Mike Urch said newly introduced Seal of Quality issued by the Aquaculture Certification Council is yet to be fully appreciated by international buyers.
Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) Executive Chairman Brig Gen (retd) M Mofizur Rahman, former President of BFFEA M Golam Mustafa and Secretary General of the association Mahmudul Hasan were also present.