The government has taken an initiative to produce bacteria-free betel leaf in order to resume its export to the European countries which had previously banned betel leaf from Bangladesh following the detection of a virus Salmonella, which is injurious to health.
Betel leaf (Paan) export to the European and Middle Eastern countries stood at over US $ 31 million in 2012, according to government figures. Detection of Salmonella bacteria in betel leaf from Bangladesh in the UK prompted the European Union to suspend imports.
The government sponsored body, Hortex Foundation, on Monday told the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture that it had been pursuing applied research with ICDDR,B on making betel leaf free from Salmonella (spp), E-coli and other Coliform bacteria.
“We are hopeful of making our Paan bacteria-free to resume its export,” Shawkat Momen Shahjahan, the standing committee chairman, told Dhaka Tribune after the meeting on vegetable and fruit exports.
Hortex Foundation facilitates the export of vegetables and fruits by providing support to the private sector.
The working paper presented by the foundation at the meeting said that they imported one kilogram of Levulinic acid from Germany to carry out the research on making Paan Salmonella-free.
Md Ahsan Ullah, the quarantine entomologist at the department of agricultural extension, told Dhaka Tribune that his department had stopped issuing no-objection certificates for export of betel leaf.
“Unless our Paan is free from Salmonella, we will not issue any certificate for export,” he said referring to the risk of further suspensions if any harmful virus was detected in betel leaf in future.
Expatriates from Bangladesh and India are the primary customers of betel leaf in European countries. Saudia Arabia and the USA are other big markets for betel leaf.
Committee Member and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Khandker Abdul Baten, Abul Kalam Azad, Monirul Islam, Noorjahan Begum and Ahmed Nazmin Sultana attended the meeting.