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Foreign airlines boost fresh vegetables export

Sohel Parvez
Exports of fruit and vegetables jumped almost 40 percent in the first nine months of fiscal year 2007-08, spurred by the increased willingness of foreign airlines to carry fresh produce from Bangladesh.
In the nine months to March 31, exports of perishable agricultural produce rose to $90.38 million, up 38 percent on the same period a year earlier. The increase marks a sharp rebound from the performance in 2006-07 when exports fell.
"It's good that foreign airlines are now willing to carry more, and we will be able to increase exports even further if we get more air cargo space," said SM Jahangir Hossain, president of Bangladesh Fruits Vegetables & Allied Products Exporters' Association (BFVAPEA).
Exporters said foreign airlines such as Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways and Emirates, previously reluctant to carry perishable products such as vegetables, have been carrying more and helping them accelerate exports.
Increased carrying of perishable products by foreign carriers has also helped to reduce the pressure on Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Biman now carries about 60 percent of total agri-products, down from 80 percent, a Biman official said. SM Masum, reservation executive of Qatar Airways in Dhaka, said the airline started carrying more perishable items from the middle of last year.
“We are carrying about 6 tonnes of perishable products every day. Previously, we carried about 3 tonnes," he said, adding that the airline carries these products to London, Qatar, Rome, Frankfurt and Milan.
Some experts said foreign
airlines are carrying more perishable products to make up for a reduction in other business, with garment exporters now happy to send goods through a more efficient Chittagong port.
According to exporters, about 40 categories of products are exported through air routes with bitter gourd, bean, green chilli, potato, papaya, jackfruit and mango dominating the overall basket.
Non-resident Bangladeshis as well as expatriate workers, living in high numbers in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom, are the main consumers of local agriproducts. Bangladesh's products are also being exported to Italy, Germany, France, Kuwait and Qatar.
"India is our main competitor. If we are to compete with Indian products, the government should provide subsidy in freight charges to boost exports," said Mohammed
Monsur, owner of one of the biggest exporters, Monsur General Trading Company.
Monsur also said a central warehouse for agricultural products having facilities such as pre-cooling, packaging system.
At present, the exporters get 20 percent cash incentive based on free on board value. But exporters said it is insignificant, as they have to pay 75 percent of their earnings as freight charges. Economists attributed the growth as a positive sign but said the benefit of export earnings should go to farmers and not to the middlemen.
“It should bring positive results. But we need to examine how much of benefit our fanners are getting from the growth," said M Asaduzzaman, research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.
sohel@thedailystar.net