Analysis of Agri-Food Trade Structures
To Promote Agri-Food Trade Networks
In the Islamic Countries
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Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Jordan, Iran and Morocco have conveyed their updated concession
lists. Stakeholders believe that operationalization TPS-OIC agreement could have a great
positive impact on fostering agricultural trade between Bangladesh and other OIC member
countries.
Addressing Infrastructure Capacity Constraints
Agri-food traders urged for immediate interventions to upgrade the operational efficiency of the
Chittagong port to meet the growing demands of country’s exports and imports. Special
attention requested towards reducing waiting time at the outer anchorage, installing required
cargo handling equipment, arranging sufficient sheds and storage facilities including cool chain
facilities to promote agricultural trade. Transportation facilities need to be upgraded between
major agricultural production areas, agro-processing industrial sites and port cities to ensure
timely delivery of agricultural exports and imports. Air transportation is crucial for exports and
imports of some of the agricultural products, for example, fresh vegetables, fruits and cut
flowers. Major areas of intervention identified are arranging sufficient cold storage and cool
chain facilities, increasing the capacity of loose container load sheds, as well as ensuring
required cargo space in flights and reducing very high airfares.
Addressing Procedural Barriers
Although the Bangladesh National Board of Revenue has taken several important measures to
modernize its customs procedures, agricultural trading community believe that there still
remains significant scope to harmonize internal work flows that could speed up border
clearance procedures. Further clarity and harmonization of trade related policies and better
coordination among implementing departments and organizations is crucial to promoting the
country’s agricultural trade.
Addressing Capacity Constraints of Standards Organizations
Stakeholders’ consultations reveal that the GoB should focus on upgrading the country’s
conformity assessment (certification, inspection and testing) procedures to meet the demands
of export and import partners and to facilitate overall agricultural trade. These involve
addressing capacity constraints of testing facilities and certification procedures of agricultural
exports and imports as well as investing in increasing technical know-how and knowledge
transfer.
Harmonization and Mutual Recognition of Bangladesh’s GI products
Harmonization and mutual recognition of Bangladesh’s GI products with countries, in particular
with OIC members, those have a tradition of protecting GIs through aligned legal conditions and
effective protection system has been identified as be an important potential driver to enhance
agricultural trade of Bangladesh by realizing the opportunity created by the adoption of the GI
Act 2013.
Conclusions and Lessons Learned
Bangladesh’s agricultural trade has been expanding over the last decade; however, its full
potential in agri-food trade is yet to be explored. This is evident from the case study, there are
five key challenges impacting Bangladesh’s agricultural trade performance and its agri-food
trade networks with the rest of the world and particularly OIC members: