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The Department of Fisheries and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project joined hands for boosting trade in fish and fishery products.
To this effect, both sides struck a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday. Under the agreement, both the departments will share information on opportunities and requirements of export markets.
By using scientific methods, they will work towards enhancing the ability to ensure food safety and manage risk during importation of goods for this important export-oriented industry.
Mr KH Mahbubul Haque, director general of the Department of Fisheries, and Mr Michael J Parr, country director, Land O'Lakes Venture 37, and project director of Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations at a ceremony held at the Department of Fisheries' building in Dhaka.
Mr Parr, representing the USDA programme, expressed the hope that the collective efforts in implementing the MoU will expand opportunities for the fisheries sector in Bangladesh and contribute to its constant economic growth.
Mr Haque thanked USDA for responding to the Bangladesh authorities' request to assist the government agencies and private sector in addressing the challenges in trade facilitation.
The next five years is a crucial time for Bangladesh as the country will be in a journey of graduating from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status until 2026, he said and hoped that the collaboration between the Department of Fisheries and the Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project will contribute towards enabling Bangladesh to successfully overcome the challenges of graduation.
The Department of Fisheries is responsible for regulating and promoting the production and national and international-level trade of fish and fishery products and aquaculture feeds.
Fishery officials and scientists inspect import and export consignments, sample and test products and monitor fish production and storage facilities to provide necessary certifications and licenses.
Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project is a demand-driven technical assistance project in partnership with the government of Bangladesh to implement the Category-C measures of the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement, which cover trade of agricultural products, including fish.
The project aims to expand regional and international trade in agricultural goods by addressing systemic constraints in agricultural trade; simplifying and automating trade procedures; harmonising processes; improving capacity of the government agencies, laboratories; and developing the cold chain system by fostering private and public investment in cold storage facilities and temperature-controlled logistics.