Poor roads, drainage may create bad impression on EC team

A muddy road leading to the fish processing plants of BSCIC industrial area at Kalurghat stands as testimony to the indifference of the authorities. PHOTO: Zobaer Hossain Sikder

Bangladesh exports frozen foods worth around Tk 1500 crore annually, sources said.

The EC delegation is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on November 7, sources at Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) said.

The EC in a letter on October 22 to the Department of Fisheries (DoF) informed that the delegation would include the officials of its Food and Veterinary Office (FVO).

During its 11-day tour the delegation will visit FIQC labs, Monoharkhali Fish Landing Centre, fish processing plants, fishing trawlers and shrimp culture areas (enclosures) in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar from November 13 to 15, sources said.

The exporters and owners of the fish processing plants carried out activities to improve different aspects of quality control, production and supply of frozen foods as per the guidelines of the Ministry for Fisheries and Livestock and DoF, sources said.

They improved and reformed their establishments and firms with their own fund following the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) manual strictly to achieve the export target of Tk 34 crore in 2005-2006, sources said.

The DoF and Department of Fisheries and Live Stock (DoFL) organised a 25-day workshop for the field level workers and others involved in production, preservation and supply of frozen foods in the city from August 24 to September 9. They also held a two-day seminar on quality control of frozen foods at FIQC office in the city on October 23 and 24.

Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) also developed and reformed its Monoharkhali fish landing centre in the city under a project of Tk 17 lakh, sources said.

But, the roads leading to the fish processing plants and other establishments at the BSCIC Industrial Areas at Sagorika and Kalurghat under the city's Pahartali and Panchlaish thana areas lie in a most dilapidated condition to create a bad impression on the delegation, they said.

Most of them are muddy without any drainage system and inundated after a little downpour, said the BFFEA sources.

Besides, slums and illegal structures in the surrounding areas will jeopardise the purpose and objectives of the brisk preparation of the exporters, they said.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdullah Al Noman held a meeting with Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and the representatives of BSCIC, BFFEA and DOF in this regard recently.

The meeting decided in principle that the CCC would develop the infrastructure and drainage system and demolish the illegal structures in the Sagorika and Kalurghat BSCIC industrial areas and Patharghat Iqbal Road which leads to Monoharkhali fish landing centre.

Another meeting with Noman in the chair at the fisheries ministry on July 13 urged the Local Government and Rural Department (LGRD) secretary to allocate Tk 1 crore for CCC for the infra-structural development at Sagoraka and Kalurghat.

However, with less than two weeks left for arrival of the EC delegation, no initiative is yet to be taken.

A row over responsibility of developing the roads by CCC, CDA and BSCIC resulted in the situation, sources said.

BFFEA President Maksudur Rahman said, " We have developed the fish processing plants and other related establishments to maintain the standard of different aspects of quality control, production and supply as per HACCP manual."

"We are confident of satisfying the delegation about our standard," he said. "If there is any dent on the image of the sector it will be due to the environment and poor state of roads outside our establishments, which is out of our jurisdiction," he added.

"We repeatedly urged the LGRD and administrations concerned for the infra-structural development. But, they paid no heed to us and showed a sheer negligence to ignore potential sector", he said.

The country earned around Tk 2300.92 crore in 2003-2004 and Tk 2588 crore in 2004-2005 as against Tk 1863.27 crore in 2002-2003 from the export of frozen foods, particularly frozen fish, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) sources said.

BFFEA sources said the revenue target of the frozen foods for the current fiscal year is set at Tk 3400 crore, 47 percent from the export to EC countries.

Of the EC countries, the United Kingdom comprises 24.71 per cent of the total export while Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium 6.48, 4.81 and 3.55 per cent.

The country at present has 82 fish processing plants of which 58 are European Union approved.