Fruits, vegetables fail to enter EU markets

Fruit and vegetable shipments from Bangladesh continue to be turned down at the port of entry to European markets due to non-compliance by exporters and poor monitoring by the related government agencies.

Between January and July, the EU has rejected 143 export consignments due to pest and absence of phytosanitary or plant health certificates, according to its Food and Veterinary Office's reports.

The use of fake phytosanitary certificates or PCs and modification of such documents by a section of errant exporters were the other reasons behind the European Union's repeated rejections.

The rejected items include citrus, one of the three vegetables for which there is a ban on the issuance of PC from April.

Asked, Hafizur Rahman, deputy director of Plant Quarantine Station at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, said the PC was issued for a particular citrus variety, locally known as zara lebu, on which there is no ban.

The quarantine station has so far issued PCs for the citrus variety by ensuring it is free from canker.

The consignment that got rejected had black spots.

“We did not check for black spots as we were not advised by the EU to do so,” he said, adding that after the latest incident, they will also look for it.

The January-July data on rejections is 67 percent of the total rejection notifications issued by the EU's FVO in 2014.

The stakeholders now fear the EU might restrict the entry of vegetables from Bangladesh altogether if the compliance level does not improve.

The EU has already extended a ban on betel leaf imports from Bangladesh until June 30, 2016 due to traces of bacteria in the leaves that cause health hazards. 

It had earlier warned the government that it might ban imports of any fresh produce if it detects harmful organisms in plants or lapses in compliance for five times in a row.

The EU, listing six vegetables from Bangladesh as critical items, had earlier also sought actions from the government.

Subsequently in May, the government shared an action plan with the EU promising to ensure shipment of vegetables and betel leaf through contract farming arrangements between exporters and farmers as well as guarantee registration of exporters, according to officials of the agriculture ministry.

The ministry also decided to include certain security features to prevent the use of fake plant health certificates to ship vegetables to the EU, one of the main buyers of the country's fresh farm produce.

However, the EU, in its notice on the extension of the ban on betel leaf imports from Bangladesh, said the action plan is 'incomplete and there are no guarantees on its effective application and enforcement'.

Repeated detection of fake PCs and shipment of various kinds of vegetables without PC are other reasons behind the extension of the ban on betel leaves, insiders said.

“There are weaknesses among all the stakeholders, including my people at the airport. Such incident will not happen if all play stronger roles,” Rahman said. 

Dhaka Customs House Commissioner Lutfor Rahman said it is difficult for customs officials to check the authenticity of the PCs instantly in the absence of automation.

Mohammad Mansur, general secretary of Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables & Allied Products Exporters' Association, said the problem of vegetable exports without PC or with fake PCs is taking place repeatedly due to the absence of coordination among government agencies.

The problem could be checked if the plant quarantine station officials remain present in the cargo build-up area, where exportable items are kept and finally packaged for loading on planes.

Asked what actions the association has taken against its errant members, Mansur said the trade body has suspended memberships of 23 of them so far.

Md Anwar Hossain Khan, deputy director of export of Plant Protection Wing (PPW), said his organisation has stopped issuing PCs for 42 exporters for non-compliance, with cases filed against eight firms.

Khan said the PPW has also started registration for exporters who are interested in exporting vegetables, fruits, betel leaf and potato. So far, 34 firms have signed up.

PPW will not issue PC unless a firm registers for exporting, he said, adding that there are plans to set up a scanner at the airport to check items before shipment and issue e-PCs in the coming days to prevent fraudulence.

Export receipts from vegetables, cut flower and foliage, and fruits decreased 38 percent year-on-year to $153 million in fiscal 2014-15, according to the Export Promotion Bureau.