March 19, 2008

EU's inspection plans could hurt Bangladesh's shrimp export trade
 

The EU is looking at the possibility of inspecting all frozen shrimp imports from Bangladesh in order to detect potential disease problems, but that may hinder Bangladesh's export trade.

At present, the EU inspects Bangladeshi shrimp shipments randomly but a complete test would require about two months, during which buyers would have turned to shrimp sources from other countries.

The Bangladeshi government and exporters said they do not wish the EU to impose such a decision since the country is working to comply with EU shrimp export standards.

A Bangladeshi leading shrimp exporter who asked for anonymity said they have bought a testing machine worth BDT 30.5 million (US$444,606) as per EU suggestions and that the machine has been installed and operated by local technicians trained in India.

The EU plans to discuss the issue at a meeting on April 2, 2008 in Brussels.

The shrimp export trade is Bangladesh's second largest export earner.