Bangladesh, China discuss agricultural trade facilitation

Delegations of Bangladesh and China held a bilateral meeting in Dhaka today (25 August) on deepening cooperation in the agricultural sector. 

The Bangladesh delegation was led by Lieutenant General (Retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Choudhury, adviser for the Ministry of Agriculture and Home Affairs, while the Chinese side was headed by Wang Lingjun, vice minister of General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, reads a press release. 

Issues discussed in the meeting included streamlining export and import procedures; expanding market access for priority products; enhancing customs and quarantine cooperation to uphold plant health and food safety; building capacity through training, knowledge sharing, and joint research; and establishing a forward-looking collaboration framework. 

Adviser Jahangir welcomed the recent approval that opened the Chinese market for Bangladeshi fresh mangoes, and noted both sides' intention to build on this success by simplifying procedures for perishables, strengthening sanitary and phytosanitary collaboration, exploring mutual recognition of inspection and laboratory results, and promoting digital traceability and risk-based clearance. 

He also highlighted prospects for pilot consignments of jackfruit, guava, potato, and aromatic rice. 

The meeting was conducted in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, reaffirming the long-standing friendship and growing partnership between Bangladesh and China. 

Both sides expressed commitment to enhancing agricultural trade and exploring new avenues of cooperation.