Vegetable exporters demand a separate scanner at airport

Vegetable exporters have called for a separate machine at the airport for quick screening of their consignments as many are missing flights due to delays arising from stricter rules on security grounds since March 21.

They met secretaries of the commerce and civil aviation ministries early this week and put forward their demand.

Every day, at least 200 tonnes of goods are returned for missing flights as a result of delays in screening, according to exporters.

Take, for instance, the case of Liton Devnath, proprietor of AH Trade International.

He was due to ship 7.5 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables to Kuwait on April 4. He brought his consignment to the airport at 10am -- well ahead of the 7:10pm scheduled departure of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.

Yet, his consignment could not be loaded to the aircraft due to delays in screening.

At present, there are four machines to physically screen nearly 800 tonnes of goods a day at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

“The export value of the goods was $18,000. I had to sell the goods to the local markets at a big discount,” he added.

Khaledur Rahman, an exporter to the UK, said export of fresh fruits and vegetables has declined nearly 10 percent due to delays in screening and re-screening at a third country.

From March 8, the UK-bound cargoes from Dhaka need to be re-screened at a third country after the British government introduced new rules for Bangladesh.

At least 20 percent of the goods are damaged due to the long journey and the re-screening, Rahman said.

Previously, the whole process, from the screening in Dhaka to the goods landing in the UK, took 17 to 18 hours. Now, it takes two days.

“Almost all exporters have been facing the same problem over the last two weeks,” said Mohammed Mansur, general secretary of Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables & Allied Products Exporters' Association.

The vegetable exporters are not only losing their business, but also losing their international buyers for the missing flights.

Rashed Khan Menon, minister for civil aviation and tourism, could not be reached by phone for his comments.