Vegetable exporters facing problem in shipping goods

Fresh vegetables and fruits exporters complain that they are facing trouble in shipping their goods as a result of the enforcement of a rule by Custom House, Dhaka, which facilitate overseas trade and travels through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Exporters said the customs house in Dhaka started real-time assessment and examination of exported goods and export-related documents from August 1 this year.

They added that most flights bearing cargo containing perishables are at night, when it is difficult for them to furnish all export-related documents instantly.

Fresh vegetables have a short shelf life and perish quickly.

So, when there are losses of goods during transport or due to damage, exporters have to amend their 'exp' document from the Online Exp Monitoring System (OEMS), maintained by the Bangladesh Bank (BB), the central bank.

However, most exporters of fresh produce do not have user IDs or passwords issued by banks and cannot update their documents in real-time.

Mohammed Monsur, general secretary of the Bangladesh Fruits Vegetables & Allied Products Exporters' Association (BFVAPEA), said banks had only issued IDs and passwords to trusted clients.

"Since banks are closed at night, shipments by the exporters who do not have access to the OEMS suffer because they cannot correct or amend exp documents at night," he said, urging authorities to relax the rule to expedite fresh vegetable and fruit exports.

Citing the issue, the BFVAPEA, which represents exporters that earned $61 million in the fiscal year 2022-23, wrote to the agriculture ministry seeking to relax the rules and allow correcting export-related documents up to 48 hours after shipments.

Afterwards, the agriculture ministry requested the BB and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to resolve the issue.

Mansur said the customs house may have opted for real-time assessment of export cargo considering the shipment of dry cargo such as garments, adding that exports would grow if authorities addressed their concerns.

Contacted, Sefat-E-Mariam, joint commissioner of Custom House Dhaka, said the implementation of real-time assessment of export consignments was in line with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) framed by the NBR in 2020.

The rule could not be implemented earlier as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on public life and the economy, she said.

Mariam said real-time assessment of shipped goods was also in line with international practice and that it was needed to curb false declarations of exported goods by unscrupulous businessmen looking to claim export incentives.

"We are providing 24-hour services to facilitate exports. We have also formed a working group, including clearing and forwarding agents, to address issues faced by vegetable exporters," she said.

After registering a 39 percent dip in export earnings in the fiscal year 2022-23, export receipts from fresh vegetables jumped 269 percent to $48 million in the July-September period of the current fiscal year from $13 million a year ago, according to Export Promotion Bureau data.

Mansur said export earnings would grow if problems faced by exporters could be resolved.