BSTI and USDA BTF Project team up to promote Bangladesh's cross-border trade capacity in agro-processed food products

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), has officially partnered with the Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

On 7 June, the organsitions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the BSTI office to improve Bangladesh's international standing and strengthen its institutional capacity and procedures for cross-border trade in agricultural and food products, a press release read.

The collaborative efforts seek to expand the variety, quantity, and value of agricultural exports while simultaneously reducing import time for agro-products.

During the MoU signing event, Md Abdus Sattar, director general, BSTI recognised the vibrant support of USDA BTF to transform BSTI into a smart organisation in line with the government vision. He emphasised that activities planned under the MoU will make BSTI equipped to contribute to the economic journey of Bangladesh. This MoU will be a milestone and will set the stage for a promising future of enhanced trade facilitation in the agricultural sector, benefiting both local producers and international trading partners, he said.

Michael J Parr, chief of party of the USDA programme, expressed his hope that this MoU will smoothen the process of implementing four pillars of trade facilitation that is transparency, harmonisation, simplification and standardisation and will significantly contribute to the economy of Bangladesh.

Fuad M Khalid Hossen, deputy chief of party, BTF Project in his keynote presentation mentioned that this partnership will focus on enhancing various aspects of quality assurance and regulatory practices which includes strengthening engagement in Codex, developing risk-based compliance management, improving laboratories and testing capacities, standardizing the halal certification process, developing capacity for mutual recognition agreements (MRA), activating the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Enquiry Point, and promoting initiatives by BSTI.

Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project is a USDA-funded, demand-driven technical assistance project partnering with the Government of Bangladesh to implement the Category-C measures of the World Trade Organisetion's Trade Facilitation Agreement, which cover the trade of agricultural products. The project aims to help Bangladesh expand cross-border trade in agricultural goods by addressing systemic constraints at Bangladeshi ports; simplifying and automating import and export processes; improving the capacity of government agencies, laboratories, and warehouses; and fostering private and public investment, especially in cold storage. These activities are designed primarily to help Bangladesh achieve five WTO-TFA Schedule C measures: Test Procedures, Risk Management, Perishable Goods, and WTO Notifications and Formalities.