JETRO Dhaka hosts Japanese food showcase to boost market access

The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Dhaka organised a certification ceremony for Japanese Food Supporter stores, alongside a Japanese food showcase, in Dhaka on 21 December.

At the event, Japanese restaurants IZAKAYA, Takumi and Izumi were certified as Japanese Food Supporter stores, marking the first such certification in Bangladesh. Naoki Takahashi, Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, presented the certificates to the restaurants.

In his remarks, Takahashi said Japan remains committed to standing with Bangladesh in its development journey under the Japan–Bangladesh Strategic Partnership, with a focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the food and agriculture sectors.

Representing IZAKAYA, Head of Operations Zarzis Ali said the restaurant was honoured to receive certification from the Government of Japan. "We will continue to support the use of Japanese ingredients and hope to see more suppliers of Japanese food products in Bangladesh," he said.

As part of the Japanese food showcase, six Japanese companies presented their products to 11 Bangladeshi buyers, including importers, restaurants, retailers and hotels, both in person and online. Buyers were offered specially prepared tasting menus, while companies assessed market entry potential and product evaluation.

JETRO said Japanese food remains relatively new in Bangladesh, making it important to communicate its value and usage rather than focusing solely on price. To this end, tasting opportunities, serving proposals and buyer surveys were arranged to support product understanding and facilitate follow-up business discussions.

Among the showcased products, wasabi received the highest evaluation from buyers. While wasabi is already available in Bangladesh, the introduction of authentic frozen wasabi drew interest from seven buyers, who said they would consider procurement according to demand.

Khaled Noor, Managing Director of Noor Trading House, said the wasabi offered a fresh taste when paired with beef steak, noting that Japanese wasabi provides a more natural flavour compared to alternatives currently available in the market.

Interest was also shown in other products, with four companies expressing interest in matcha, three in rice crackers, two in processed bean products, two in matcha castella and one in sauce products.

At the same venue, samples from more than 20 Japanese companies exploring the Bangladeshi market were displayed and interviews were conducted with buyers to gather feedback.

Abdullah Al Mamun, Cluster Head of Unimart, said tasting authentic Japanese food before entering business discussions offered valuable insight into the market.

Kazuiki Kataoka, Country Representative of JETRO Dhaka, said the memorandum of cooperation between Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh aims to strengthen bilateral collaboration, promote agriculture-based business and attract investment. He added that JETRO seeks to expand market opportunities for Japanese food products in Bangladesh by organising food showcase events to better understand market needs and facilitate business matching.