Dhaka airport now has a vegetable problem

It is quite worrying that Bangladesh faces the risk of losing its European market for vegetables because the Explosive Detective System (EDS) machine—used for scanning agricultural exports—at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka has been inoperative for over two weeks. As a result, local traders have been unable to export vegetables, thereby incurring huge financial losses. Since vegetables scanned by any device other than EDS scanners are not allowed to enter the UK and European markets, some have been forced to get them scanned in a third country, which is not only very expensive, but also time-consuming, harming the business prospect of such perishable items.

We can't help but wonder why the airport authorities would allow the situation to deteriorate to a stage where agricultural exports would come to a complete halt. The EDS machine shouldn't have been difficult to fix. If new parts are all that the machine requires to work, as the airport authorities claimed, why weren't they brought in sooner? We're told that there was another machine at the cargo village of the airport, but that has been out of order for two years. The current situation is hard to accept as the lone scanner reportedly broke down thrice over the last six months, which should have been enough for the authorities to initiate a contingency plan for quick repairs and even purchasing new machines (using part of the fees they charge for scanning outgoing vegetables).

The danger of this situation dragging on indefinitely shouldn't be lost on the airport authorities. Bangladeshi exporters of vegetables and other perishable items will lose their position and competitive edge in the European market, while exporters from countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia will take advantage of the situation. According to the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association, about 120 tonnes of agricultural products and perishable items are exported to different countries daily, of which 80 percent goes to the UK. About 82,510 tonnes of fruits and vegetables worth Tk 1,419 crore were exported from Bangladesh in FY2019-20, and Tk 1,029 crores' worth in the following year. Europe is a big market for us; we can't be deemed as unprepared or, worse, unfit for the opportunity that it provides. 

We urge the Dhaka airport authorities to realise the cost of their inaction or inability to deliver a quick solution to the vegetable export problem. They must fix the EDS scanner urgently and bring in new machines so that such vital exports are never disrupted.