Analysis of Agri-Food Trade Structures
To Promote Agri-Food Trade Networks
In the Islamic Countries
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Agricultural Quality Framework
Agricultural Quality related policies and infrastructure
The Ministry of Industries is responsible for leading and facilitating the legal and technical
institutional framework for national standards, quality, and conformity assessment. The
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the national standardization body,
formulates national standards for all products including agricultural products (except
pharmaceuticals), enforces compliance with standards, and certifies the quality of products.
Under the Bangladesh Accreditation Board Act 2006, the Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB)
was established with a mandate to enhance the recognition and acceptance of products and
services in international, regional, and domestic markets.
Bangladesh adopted a National Quality Policy for Goods and Services, 2015 to upgrade its
national quality infrastructure to international level. The Government of Bangladesh also
enacted the Safe Food Act 2013 to regulate and coordinate activities related to food production,
import, processing, stockpiling, supplying, marketing, and sales to ensure the people’s right to
access safe food through appropriate application of scientific processes and technology. The
Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) was established in 2015 to realize the objectives
outlined in this Act.
Agricultural Certification and Labelling
Present Infrastructure and Practice
BSTI is the only product certification body in Bangladesh for local consumption as well as for
export and import. In theory, Bangladesh allows the sale of products that comply with standards
issued by a recognized international organization if there is no relevant national standard; but
in practice, the sale of such products requires certification form the BSTI. The other national
testing organizations and conformity assessment bodies involved in testing, inspection, and
certification for the agricultural sector are the Bangladesh Centre for Scientific and Industrial
Research (BCSIR), the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), and the Fisheries
Inspection & Quality Control (FIQC).
The 2006 Product Labelling Policy provides labelling requirements for all domestically
produced and imported products, including agricultural commodities. Manufacturers and
importers are allowed to label their product according to their own choice. All product labels
must include themanufacturer's name, full address, country of origin, andweights andmeasures
expressed in International Units. Additionally, agricultural and food products labels need to
incorporate ingredients, composition, batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates, and any
other related information. 23
23 Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (2018), available at (accessed on 1 April 2018)