Bangladesh
ECNEC PM Hasina directs to check quality before exporting agricultural products
Dhaka, August 24: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed to export agricultural products after checking the quality as per the demand of the developed world. She gave this instruction at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday (August 24).
Eight projects were approved at the ECNEC meeting on Tuesday. When the projects were presented for approval at the meeting, the Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Sheikh Hasina approved them. One of them is the project to transform the plant quarantine laboratory at the central packing house into an international standard laboratory. The total cost of the project is Tk 156.35 crore. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave these instructions while approving the project.
Highlighting the Prime Minister's directive, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said that at present, the export income from agriculture is 1 billion US dollars. The Prime Minister has asked to export agricultural products after checking the quality properly. She also directed to increase the export of agricultural products, so that the reputation of Bangladesh in the world grows more. Besides, instructions have been given to take more precautions for the export of agricultural products.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) will implement the project. To develop the existing physical infrastructure of the Central Packing House for the establishment of international standard laboratories for pest detection in plant quarantine activities and to assist the farmers in obtaining value for their produce by expediting the export of agricultural products.
A central packing house will be constructed at Shampur in Dhaka from January 2021 to December 2023. Under the project, 3,315 sq ft existing plant quarantine laboratory building, physical infrastructure repair, laboratory (mycology, bacteriology, virology, nematology, microbiology etc.) equipment will be procured and installed. One hundred and eighty officers will be given local training and six officers will be given training abroad.
The project will play an important role in gaining the ability to follow the rules and regulations framed by the Standard Setting Body of the International Convention on Plant Protection in the import and export of plants and plant products.
The project titled 'Transformation of Plant Quarantine Laboratory at Central Packing House to International Standard Laboratory' proposed by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) under the Ministry of Agriculture will be implemented with full government funding. The total cost of the eight projects, including this, has been estimated at Tk 5,441.63 crore. Of this, Tk 3,333 crore will be spent from government funds, Tk 2,061 crore from project loans and Tk 48 crore from the company's own funds.
