Agricultural products grown in Sylhet are highly popular in the United Kingdom and European Union countries. Because of their taste and quality, expatriate Bangladeshis are willing to pay premium prices for various vegetables and fruits produced in Sylhet.
There is also significant potential to export these agricultural products directly from Sylhet. A cargo complex has already been built at Osmani International Airport for export purposes. However, the lack of even a single packing house is preventing the region from tapping into this potential.
Exporting through the packing house in Shyampur, Narayanganj, increases both the time and cost involved. As a result, many exporters have abandoned agricultural exports from the region.
Businesspeople say that if a packing house is built in Sylhet, agricultural products worth around Tk 15 billion could be exported from the region annually. This would not only boost agricultural production but also create employment opportunities.
At one time, various agricultural products from Sylhet were exported to the United Kingdom and other European countries. Citrus fruits, vegetables and various other agricultural products produced in the region have a strong overseas market. Expatriate Bangladeshis from Sylhet are the main consumers of these products.
To tap into this export potential, a modern cargo complex was built at Osmani International Airport at a cost of Tk 260 million. However, no agricultural products can currently be exported directly from Sylhet due to the absence of a packing house. The lack of the facility has effectively stalled the region’s export potential.
Businesspeople said there is strong demand in the United Kingdom and European Union countries for Sylhet’s Goalgadda beans, naga chillies, Khasi betel leaves, taikor, defol, farash and bean seeds, Dhakadakshin’s red-soil taro and taro stems, jara lemons, ada lemons, shatkora, oranges, malta oranges, pineapples, watermelons and lukluki.
These fruits and vegetables are also in high demand among Bangladeshi communities beyond Sylheti expatriates. Supermarkets in areas with large Bangladeshi populations also do good business selling these products. However, because there is no export facility in Sylhet, traders currently export the products from Dhaka.
Businesspeople further said that these agricultural products were once exported on Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Sylhet-London flights and later distributed to European Union countries from the United Kingdom.
However, exports were halted nearly two decades ago after a virus known as “canker” was detected in citrus fruits. Since then, agricultural products grown in Sylhet have had to be sent through the Shyampur packing house for quality control and packaging.
This has discouraged exporters in the region. Although direct flights from Sylhet to London and Manchester are currently available, agricultural products still cannot be exported from Sylhet solely because of the lack of a packing house.
Mostafizur Rahman, president of the Jalalabad Vegetable and Frozen Fish Export Group, said agricultural products must be packed under the supervision of officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension after undergoing quality control.
“The products are then kept at a specific temperature before being exported. Currently, exporting through the Shyampur packing house in Narayanganj increases the time and cost for Sylhet’s traders. If a packing house is built in Sylhet, agricultural products worth at least Tk 15 billion could be exported annually,” he said.
Abdul Jabbar Jalil, former senior vice-president of the Sylhet Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Sylhet’s businesspeople had proposed setting up a packing house at their own expense.
“But the government did not take the proposal into consideration. If the packing house could be built, it would create significant opportunities for exports from Sylhet,” he said.
Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, deputy director of the Sylhet office of the Department of Agricultural Extension, said there were plans to build a packing house near Osmani International Airport.
“A site has already been identified. The issue has been discussed with the commerce minister. Once the government issues instructions, work on establishing the packing house will begin. If exports start from Sylhet, it will have a positive impact on agricultural production in the region,” he said.
Hafiz Ahmed, director of Osmani International Airport, said the airport already has all the facilities needed to export agricultural products except for a packing house.
“If the facility is established, many types of agricultural products can be exported from Sylhet. This would further strengthen the ties between Sylhet and Bangladeshis living in the United Kingdom and European Union countries,” he said.
