The Department of Fisheries signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Department of Agriculture funded Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project on Thursday, outlining a collaborative effort to streamline processes, share trade information about opportunities and requirements for export markets.
The MoU also aims to enhance the ability to use scientific methods to ensure food safety and manage risk during importation of goods for this important, export-earning industry.
Kh. Mahbubul Haque, Director General, Department of Fisheries, and Michael J Parr, Country Director Land O’Lakes Venture37 and Project Director, Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations at a ceremony held at the Department of Fisheries’ building in Dhaka.
Parr, representing the USDA program, expressed his hope that the collective efforts in implementing the MoU activities will expand opportunities for the fisheries industry of Bangladesh and contribute to its continuous economic growth.
Haque stated that the next five years are crucial for Bangladesh as the country is graduating from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026 and hopes 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 trade of fish and fish products as well fish and aquaculture feed.
The Bangladesh Trade Facilitation project is a USDA-funded, demand-driven technical assistance project which is partnering with the Government of Bangladesh in implementing the Category-C measures of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, which cover the trade of agricultural products, including fisheries.
The project aims to expand regional and international trade in agricultural goods by addressing systemic constraints to agricultural trade; simplifying and automating trade procedures; harmonizing processes; improving the capacity of government agencies, laboratories; and developing the cold chain system by fostering private and public investment in cold storage facilities and temperature-controlled logistics.
