The betel leaf cultivation monitoring committee of agriculture ministry will start visiting betel leaf gardens in a week to ensure harmful bacteria-free production, official sources said.
The first visits will be made to gardens, known as paan borouj, in Kushtia district.
The monitoring team will see cultivation process there and work out a long-term method for producing safe betel leaf in a bid to satisfy EU authorities.
In July 2013, the EU countries banned Bangladeshi betel leaf after detection of Salmonella, a virus injurious to health.
“We were supposed to start visiting paan borouj in Kushtia from November 2. But it will happen one week later as hartal has been called for the day,” Dr M Bahanur Rahman, member of monitoring committee and professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University told the Dhaka Tribune.
He said they would see how the cultivation of betel leaf get infected by salmonella during handling the process by the growers.
“We will teach some technical matters to the farmers on protecting their produces from salmonella,” Bahanur Rahman said.
Meanwhile, commerce ministry sources said the government already floated tender to construct a building for betel leaf packaging at Fatulla. The construction works will start from December this year.
The ministry officials said all the betel leaf, vegetables and lemons will be packaged in the unit before shipment.
Betel leaf export to the European and Middle Eastern countries was $31m in 2012, according to the government data.
Detection of salmonella in Bangladeshi betel leaf by the UK authorities prompted the EU to suspend imports of it.
Last September, the government started contract farming to produce salmonella-free betel leaf, vegetables, and lemon in Narsingdi district as the EU formulated four time-bound action plans to ensure the entry of bacteria-free farm products including betel leaf into its market.
The contract farming started in the district with the help of the DAR, BARI, BAGC and the Hartex Foundation.
Meanwhile, BAU found a solution to prevent salmonella in the produces.
The EU action plans include contract framing, stopping fake phytosanitary certificates, developing inspection facilities and collection of laboratories equipment within the current fiscal year.
The fake phytosanitary certificates are allegedly being used by some betel leaf and vegetable exporters to the international airport.
