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Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian on Friday said that the government was working to develop a country-specific export plan for mangoes to access mainstream markets abroad.
He said that customs and security clearances for mangoes and other fruits and vegetables would be streamlined at a single location, ensuring greater competitiveness in terms of time and quality.
The announcement came during the inauguration of a mango marketing initiative featuring produce grown using Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
The launching ceremony was held at Krishoker Bazar (Farmers' Market), in the Jatiya Sangsad area in Dhaka, jointly organised by the Hortex Foundation, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), and the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM), with support from Jahera Seed Corporation, Arat Agro BD, and SK International.
Gardeners from Kolaroa in Satkhira, with support from the Programme on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience in Bangladesh (PARTNER) project, exhibited their mangoes.
Dr Mian emphasised the government's commitment to modernising agricultural exports by removing long-standing logistical and regulatory obstacles.
"We are developing country-specific export action plans to access mainstream global markets, beyond just ethnic consumer bases," he said.
"Although Bangladeshi mangoes are in high demand internationally, export volumes have remained low due to various challenges. Through the adoption of GAP and advanced technologies, we are actively working to overcome these barriers."
He announced that mango exporters would soon benefit from a streamlined process where customs and security clearance would be provided at a single point, reducing both time and cost.
"This integration will significantly enhance the competitiveness of our fruit and vegetable exports in terms of both quality and efficiency," he said.
Efforts are also underway to address inter-ministerial bottlenecks in logistics and processing.
Discussions are ongoing to lower air freight costs, while improvements in post-harvest handling -- such as hot water treatment and cold chain infrastructure -- are being implemented, he said.
Currently, hot water treatment facilities are operational in Gabtoli, with additional facilities under construction in Shyampur and Purbachal.
He said plans were also there to relocate customs operations to Shyampur, enabling joint clearance by customs and civil aviation authorities.
"Last fiscal year, we exported just 1,300 tonnes of mangoes. However, Bangladesh has the capacity to export up to 50,000 tonnes annually while still meeting domestic demand."
He also focused on the importance of visual appeal -- particularly colour and quality -- in international markets and mentioned that ongoing research was focused on aligning local production with global consumer preferences.
The government was also working to make seasonal fruits like mangoes more accessible through initiatives such as Krishoker Bazar, which supports both export goals and domestic market availability, he said.
Among the distinguished guests at the launch event were Md Saiful Alam, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE); Nasir-Ud-Doula, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM); Dr Nazmun Nahar Karim, Acting Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC); Dr Syed Md Rafiqul Amin, Managing Director of Hortex Foundation; and Abul Kalam Azad, Programme Coordinator of the PARTNER Project.
The launch aligns with the agriculture ministry's broader vision of transforming agriculture into a sustainable, safe, and commercially viable sector to ensure food and nutritional security for future generations.
As part of this effort, the ministry is implementing the Programme on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience in Bangladesh (PARTNER), which runs from July 2023 to June 2028.
The programme is being executed across all 8 divisions, 14 regions, 64 districts, and 495 upazilas, with funding support from the Government of Bangladesh, the World Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Seven implementing agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture are executing the programme, with the Department of Agricultural Extension's Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) acting as the lead agency.
Eight affiliated organisations, including the Hortex Foundation, are serving as strategic partners in the initiative.
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