Frozen food exporters target Tk 10b earnings by 2013

Bss, Chittagong

Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) has targeted Tk 10,000 crore from exports of frozen foods by 2013.

Frozen food exporters, mostly the members of the BFFEA, earned Tk 3,180.80 crore in fiscal year 2008-09, 20.83 percent lower than the previous year due to the global recession.

"But with the recovery trend of the global economy, the demand for frozen foods in the world market has started going up again," said Mohammad Musa Mia, BFFEA president.

He is optimistic about the bright prospects of frozen food export and believes that the country can fetch Tk10,000 crore from this sector.

The main item of the frozen food is prawn, but the demand for shrimp in the global market is also on the rise.

Musa said the export earnings could be increased substantially by bringing the production and processing of the fish under the latest technology.

The demand for shrimp is increasing in global markets including the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and some Asian and Middle-eastern countries.

At present, farmers are producing prawn on 1.70 lakh hectares of land.

The sectoral trade body chief suggested the government bring more two lakh hectares of land under shrimp and prawn production in the coastal area.

To meet the increasing demand, he also suggested expansion of prawn production in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Jessore, Patuakhali and Barisal.

The farmers in Cox's Bazar, Chittagong and Khulna are now the main producers of prawn and shrimp for export.