Bangladesh all set to ship mango to China for first time

Bangladesh is all set to ship its first consignment of 50 tonnes of mangoes to China, as Beijing has finally approved an export request Dhaka submitted six years ago.

If everything goes according to plan, the first consignment will be ready for shipment tomorrow, said Arifur Rahman, project director of the Department of Agricultural Extension's exportable mango production project.

"If China is satisfied with this shipment, the next consignment will be sent," he added.

This season, Bangladesh will export around 50 tonnes of mangoes, and the country is also considering sending jackfruit and lychees, said Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian, agriculture secretary.

There is significant potential for Bangladeshi mango exports to China, said Al Mamun Mridha, former secretary general of the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI).

The rising demand for tropical fruits in China, along with duty-free access under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement and complementary harvest seasons, offers a strategic advantage to Bangladesh, he said.

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China has been the single largest trading partner for Bangladesh for many years, but imports from the country have far outweighed exports, with shipments from Bangladesh failing to cross even the one-billion-dollar mark.

In the July–December period of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh imported goods worth $8.89 billion from China, while the export figure stood at $461.05 million, according to data from Bangladesh Bank and the Export Promotion Bureau.

In the previous fiscal year, the total import value from China was $16.63 billion, whereas exports were just $715.37 million.

Earlier in 2019, Bangladesh applied for approval to export mangoes along with several other agricultural products to the Chinese market, an official of the commerce ministry said.

The Chinese government typically takes a long time to make such decisions, but the Covid-19 pandemic further delayed the process, the official said.

To export any food product to China, registration is required with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). The GACC granted export registration for Bangladeshi mangoes in July last year, but it has yet to approve the export of jackfruit and guava.