Online Desk: Beijing has requested Dhaka to take urgent preventive steps against 13 types of harmful pests in Bangladeshi mangoes before export in order to ensure an uninterrupted supply of such products there.

To this end, the Bangladesh mission in Beijing has conveyed the issue, raised by the Chinese authorities, to the government agency concerned for an urgent step.

In March 2023, the General Administration of China Customs (GACC) sent feedback on the pest risk analysis (PRA) of mango.

On 01 July 2021, the GACC gave permission of exporting six Bangladeshi farm produce – mango, jackfruit, guava, potato, soya meal and aromatic rice.

As per GACC requirements, the Bangladesh mission also submitted PRA of four products – mango, guava, jackfruit and potato – on 21 April 2022 upon collecting from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

However, the GACC gave its observation on the risk analysis with identifying 13 kinds of pests that may be imported together with mango from Bangladesh, according to GACC documents.

The pests include aceria mangiferae, aleurodicus disperses, bactrocera zonata, citripestis utraphera, planococcus minor, rastrococcus iceryoides, rastrococcus invadens, procontarinia matteiana, sternochetus frigidus, sternochetus mangiferae and neofusicoccum mangiferae, said a DAE source.

As per the Chinese scrutiny, the mission has requested the DAE to take pest-importing risk preventative measures for mango.

Commercial councillor of Bangladesh High Commission Mohammad Monsour Uddin, who issued the letter, said DAE steps were very crucial to advance in the next stage of market access permission in China for mango.

Earlier, the mission requested the DAE several times to send a report regarding the GACC feedback on mango. But it did not send such PRA.

It suggested taking steps to send the report as early possible in view of exploring the opportunity of exporting more agricultural products to China.

The Chinese authorities found the presence of pests in mango, which are potentially harmful to human health.

“We’re working on the issue and hoping to send the report to the GACC soon,” said a DAE official.

According to industry insiders, there is a high demand for mango, jackfruit, guava, potato, soya meal and aromatic rice, crab and eel in China.

Bangladesh has witnessed a significant increase in mango exports in recent years.

It exported 310 tonnes, 283 tonnes, 1,632 tonnes and 1,757 tonnes of mango abroad in fiscal years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively, according to agriculture ministry.

In the current season, Bangladesh has so far exported 2,700 tonnes of mango to 34 countries.