Agriculture-oriented Bangladesh is now seeing the possibility of exporting agricultural products to the world market after meeting the domestic demand. It has already won the markets of India, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East.
Despite the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural products have earned more than 100 crore dollars in foreign exchange in the last fiscal year (2020-21). In the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year (2021-22) it has earned about 56 crore dollars. At 87 taka per dollar in Bangladeshi currency, it stands at 4,872 crore taka. This income is 24% more than the same period of the previous fiscal year.
According to industry insiders, if this trend continues, it will be possible to meet the target of 110 crore dollars ahead of schedule in the current fiscal year. With this, the entrepreneurs and policymakers of the country are dreaming bigger. They said a public-private delegation had recently visited the United Kingdom and the Netherlands regarding the development of the country’s agricultural products. British super shop Sainsbury’s and Tesco have expressed interest in buying agricultural products at this time. In addition, a technical team from the Netherlands, the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural products, is coming to Bangladesh next March to provide assistance.
Exporters believe that with the help of infrastructure, it is possible to double exports of agricultural products in the next two to three years. The Minister of Agriculture Dr. Abdur Razzak talked to Kaler Kantha about the potential of the world market for agricultural products and said ‘The government has taken up various programs to increase the export of agricultural products in the world market. A public-private delegation recently visited the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to explore the possibilities and gain knowledge. There was a positive response from there. In this context, a technical delegation from Denmark is coming to Bangladesh in March next year. The delegation will help modernize the country’s agriculture, technology, increase productivity, conserve and increase marketing.’
