EU team inspects shrimp farms in Bagerhat

A two-member team of European Union yesterday visited two shrimp farms in Bagerhat to look into the quality of shrimp production and processing.
Earlier the team visited the Fish Inspection and Quality Control (FIQC) laboratory at Boyra in Khulna.
According to our staff correspondent in Khulna, after inspecting the FIQC lab in Khulna the team went to Bagerhat and visited a shrimp farm at Radhaballar village under Bagerhat Sadar upzila.
The team members later went to Kathaltala under Fakirhat upzila and looked over different sections of the export-oriented Rupsha Fish and Allied Processing Factories.
Two officials of the Fisheries Department accompanying the EU team since Saturday told our Khulna correspondent that the team members expressed satisfaction over the farms for proper implementation of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) policies at both cultivation and processing levels.
Vice President of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters' Association (BFFEA) Sheikh Abdul Baki said the country's shrimp export would get a boost this time as the export-oriented shrimp processing factories are strictly following the EU guidelines.
The EU team comprising inspectors Raj Patal and Dr Mc Evoy from the EU Food and Veterinary Office in Brussels is in Bangladesh on a 10-day visit to get an idea of what measures the country has taken with regard to exporting quality shrimp to the EU in accordance with the Union's guidelines.
The delegation also wants to see if shrimp cultivators and processors are complying with HACCP policies properly.
According to BFFEA sources, the EU team is expected to arrive in Chittagong today to inspect the shrimp producing and processing factories there.
After visiting Chittagong region, the team will return to the capital tomorrow and will attend a meeting hosted by fisheries ministry.
The BFFEA sources said at the meeting the EU delegation will give some suggestions to the government as well as shrimp cultivators and exporters.
The team will submit its final report to EU authorities after returning to Brussels.
Bangladesh's shrimp industry, the second largest foreign exchange earner, employs more than 7.5 lakh people. Using 2.5 lakh hectares of land in southeastern and southwestern coastal areas of Cox's Bazar, Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira, around 1.4 lakh farmers are producing more than 50,000 tonnes of shrimps annually, mostly by using traditional methods.
In 2006-07 fiscal, Bangladesh fetched around US$ 500 million by exporting shrimps, mainly to the US and EU countries.
However, in the first month of the current fiscal, frozen food exports witnessed a downtrend with a decline of 11.55 percent.
The government has fixed a target of earning $ 600 million from frozen food sector in the current fiscal year.