EU extends ban on betel leaves from Bangladesh
The European Union has extended a ban on import of betel leaves from Bangladesh by one year, officials said.
The restriction was first imposed in February last year for a period till June 30 this year as health hazardous bacteria was found in several consignments.
Zillul Hye Razi, trade adviser of the EU in Bangladesh, confirmed the extension of the ban.
The government in May sent an action plan to the EU, a major market for Bangladesh's vegetables and fruits, promising reforms to ensure export of bacteria-free betel leaves.
The government decided to enforce contract farming arrangement and selected nine districts and 100 farmers to grow betel leaves.
Insiders, however, said the EU authorities were not satisfied with the action plan.
Repeated detection of fake phytosanitary or plant health certificates for exporting vegetables and fruits is another reason behind the extension of the ban on betel leaves, officials of the agriculture ministry said.
Such certificates were fake or missing in a number of consignments, according to a letter sent to the government by the European Commission in June last year.
Tapan Kanti Ghosh, minister (commerce) at the Bangladesh embassy in Brussels, told the government on Monday that an official decision on the extension of the ban will come within a few days.
"It seems that the EC likes to see further progress in the phytosanitary control system of Bangladesh's export of plant and vegetable products before it withdraws the import restrictive measures," he said in a letter.
The EU countries detected harmful organisms in vegetables and fruits in 270 consignments between 2011 and 2014. Some 211 consignments were detected with fake or no phytosanitary certificates during the period, according to an EC report.
Shipment of vegetables and fruits without such certificates is still rampant, said a senior official of the agriculture ministry, asking not to be named.
"Our control system to ensure export of safe plants and fruits still remains weak. So, it appears that the EU authorities are not happy with the action plan. They want improvement in implementation," the official said.
Anwar Faruque, director general of the seed wing under the agriculture ministry, said they have taken steps to execute the action plan.
The ministry has started training the growers on safe cultivation, he said, adding that implementation of the action plan will require time.
The government is also in the process to print phytosanitary certificates through security printing press to stop fraudulence, he said.
Exports of betel leaves raked in $56 million in 2012 and Bangladesh's main markets include the UK, Italy and Saudi Arabia.
The country earns more than $200 million a year from fruit and vegetable exports. Bangladesh fetched $147.92 million from exports of vegetables, cut flowers, foliage and fruits during July-May of fiscal 2014-15, down 32 percent year-on-year, according to Export Promotion Bureau.
More than half of the exports are meant for European countries, mainly the UK, targeting the Bangladeshis living there. The Middle East is the second largest destination, according to an audit report by the EU's food and veterinary office in 2013.