For the first time, Bangladesh started exporting saplings by sea. On 9 June, a consignment of 3 thousand and 747 saplings of 8 species was brought to Chattogram port for exporting to Qatar. On 14 June, the ship of Maersk Shipping Line left Chattogram port with the consignment of Maersk Xiamen saplings. The consignment of saplings loaded in containers for export includes 795 saplings of Malta, 152 saplings of Jamrul, 950 saplings of lemon, 1 thousand 280 saplings of Neem, 40 saplings of Banyan tree, 320 saplings of Sofeda, 170 saplings of almonds and 40 saplings of thorny acacia. Al Naimi Landscaping, a Bangladeshi-owned company based in Doha, Qatar, imported the saplings from Bangladesh to Qatar.
Messrs. Bijra Enterprise of Bijra Bazar, Laksam, Comilla has exported the saplings. Prior to export, the saplings from Chattogram were loaded onto a 40-foot air-conditioned container at the Eastern Logistics Depot in Patenga.
Shamsul Islam, CEO of Bijra Enterprise, said, “During the inauguration of the country’s first World Trade Centre in Agrabad, Chattogram on 30 January, 2016, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked traders to find new markets. Emphasising on agricultural products, the Prime Minister said, ‘This market will never shrink.’ Inspired by that, I have been trying to export saplings since 2018. Despite exporting saplings a few times by air while facing various difficulties, this is the first time I am exporting saplings from Bangladesh by sea. Exporting saplings by air is very expensive. So, I have started to export saplings by ship. Through this, I hope to be able to export about 1 crore dollars worth of saplings a year.”
Abu Sufian Maruf, owner of Al Naimi Landscaping, a Qatari importer, and Messrs. Bijra Enterprise in Comilla, said: “We have been trading saplings in Qatar for 20 years. We import and sell saplings from more than 20 countries to Qatar. But this is the first time I am taking saplings from my own country by ship.”
“Vietnam exports trees to many countries in the Middle East, including neighboring our country India,” he said. “Despite the huge potential, Bangladesh is lagging behind in this sector.”
