The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has organised a day-long training programme for farmers and entrepreneurs in Khagrachhari to enhance their skills and capacity to export agricultural products, aiming to diversify Bangladesh’s export basket and expand access to international markets.
The training programme titled “Enhancing Skills of Entrepreneurs and Farmers and Developing Export Capacity in Agricultural Products” was held at the Manikchhari Upazila Parishad conference room on Saturday under the EPB’s export product diversification initiative, said a press release.
EPB Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Hasan Arif attended the programme as the chief guest, while Manikchhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tahmina Afroze Bhuiyan chaired it.
EPB Director Kumkum Sultana, President of the Bangladesh Fruits and Vegetable Growers Association, Chattogram, Mohammad Kamal Uddin, officials of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), and local farmers and entrepreneurs also attended.
Addressing the programme, Hasan Arif said Khagrachhari and the adjoining hill districts had significant potential for producing and exporting a variety of agricultural products, including mangoes, pineapples, oranges, bananas, coffee, jackfruits, cashew nuts, dragon fruits and papayas.
Expanding the presence of these products in international markets could help diversify the country’s export basket and create opportunities to increase farmers’ and entrepreneurs’ incomes, he said.
However, ensuring product quality and safety at every stage, from production and harvesting to storage, grading, packaging and transportation, is essential for competing in international markets, he added.
He stressed the need to promote market-oriented agricultural production, modern orchard management, post-harvest handling and efficient value chains to reduce wastage and increase value addition.
Farmers and entrepreneurs also need greater knowledge of international market analysis, foreign buyer identification and export documentation to tap new overseas markets, he said.
The training covered production techniques for export-oriented horticultural crops, post-harvest management of fruits and vegetables, value chain development, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), grading and packaging, export procedures, international market analysis, foreign buyer identification and export-related documentation.
