Smuggled Indian shrimps destroying countrys image
Friday, 21 September 2012
DHAKA, SEPT 20:
The export-focused shrimp industry is under threat from substandard Indian shrimp smuggled into the country and re-exported in the name of Bangladeshi products.
According to EU's Rules of Origin (RoO), Bangladesh enjoys duty free facility under the European Union's (EU) Generalised System of Preference (GSP) for export of shrimps and prawns produced in the country.
Shrimps or prawns procured from other countries or having not origin of Bangladesh are not entitled of having the facilities of GSP. Even the country might lose the right of GSP facilities if shrimps or prawns procured from other countries are exported from Bangladesh.
According to sources, a large number of low quality Indian shrimps are smuggled into the country almost on a regular basis through various border points. Bangladesh Border Guards very often prohibits the movement of shrimp from India. Very recently, the BGB seized five trucks loaded with 3,192 Kg of low quality Indian Bagda shrimp. The trucks were coming from Satkhira Bhomra land port. Sources said, some unscrupulous businessmen brought the consignment, with other white fishes, with an ulterior motive to export those shrimp under the band of Bangladeshi products.
Being very sub-standard in quality, the fish bring bad name for the country. And if identified the origin of the products and the source country the entire consignment might be cancelled and the country might lose its GSP facilities.
To check the practice, the Directorate of Fisheries (DoF) recently requested the Ministry of Fisheries to issue a letter requesting the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to impose a ban import of shrimps. In its letter the DoF agreed that huge quantity of shrimps is being smuggled into the country through various border points. It may be mentioned that Bangladesh is surrounded by India in three sides having border of about 3,400 km. Most of the border areas are spurious and BGB can hardly check smuggled all through the spurious border.
If Bangladesh lose its GSP status due to the malpractice, Bangladeshs major competitor, including India, will capture its share in the world market, said the letter sent to the MoF. As a result, the country will lose huge foreign currency besides displacing hundreds of thousands of people associated with the industry.
At present there are about 180,000 shrimp enclosures and 80 frozen foods processing plants in the country engaging some one million people directly involves with the industry.
The industry earned about Tk 47 billion foreign currency in last fiscal (2011-12) by exporting some 92,479 metric tons of shrimps and other fishes to various countries of the world.
Bangladesh is famous for two varieties of giant prawn, the freshwater Golda and the saltwater Bagda or Tiger prawn, which constitute nearly 90 per cent of frozen food exports, the second biggest foreign exchange earner after apparel. Nearly 30 per cent of prawn exports are Golda and the rest Bagda, according to exporters.
Smuggled Indian shrimps destroying country
I can understand your pain... as your real face of Luchnow have been exposed. I was about to vomit seeing the dirty picture of Luchnow.... It was looking like 70s or 80s of Dhaka or some remote cities of Bangladesh...
