Bangladesh produces more than 15 million metric tonnes of vegetables every year, yet less than 0.3 per cent of this volume reaches export markets. To address this gap, Swisscontact convened the stakeholder round table "Towards Export Readiness: Constraints and Commitments in Bangladesh's Vegetable Export Sector" on 16 September 2026 at the Ruposhi Bangla Grand Ballroom, Hotel InterContinental Dhaka. Dr. Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, moderated the session. The round table brought together representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and its Plant Quarantine Wing, the Export Promotion Bureau, the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, Hortex Foundation, commercial banks and member exporters of the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters' Association (BFVAPEA).
Drawing on findings from the Gourd Market Study conducted by SGS Bangladesh, participants looked at where export consignments lose competitiveness, face compliance risks and meet coordination gaps, and at where responsibility for action lies. The discussion highlighted a set of linked constraints: pesticide residue risks, weak farm-level traceability, costly and slow testing and certification, poor packaging and branding, fragmented production, high and unpredictable air freight costs, and delays in customs and airport handling. Gaps in market intelligence and institutional coordination further compound these challenges, while repeated gourd rejections in European markets continue to affect both exporters and buyer confidence in Bangladesh.
The discussion outlined a clear pathway for strengthening Bangladesh’s vegetable export readiness, with coordinated action needed from farm to market. At the production level, participants called for stronger compliance and traceability through training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), food safety, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biopesticides, alongside greater adoption of cluster-based, certified and export-ready production. Beyond the farm, the focus was on strengthening certification and traceability, improving packaging, testing, cold-chain and logistics systems, and addressing high freight costs. Participants also stressed the need for financial services that respond to the practical needs of farmers and exporters.
Looking ahead, stronger market intelligence, diversified products and destinations, and longer-term engagement with international buyers were identified as key to expanding market access. Closer coordination among government, exporters, farmers, financial institutions and logistics providers will be critical to translating these priorities into a more competitive, reliable and export-ready vegetable sector.
Through the Improving the Implementation of SPS Best Practices for Export-Oriented Vegetables in Bangladesh (SAFE BD) project and Green+, Swisscontact is already addressing the main technical barriers: GAP and IPM adoption, safe pesticide use, farm-level traceability, residue testing and certification. However, a farmer who follows GAP still sells through collection points where traced and untraced produce are mixed. A residue test often returns after the consignment has already been shipped. An exporter willing to source from certified clusters cannot plan ahead without crop-cycle finance or stable freight rates. Each actor carries out its own part, but the steps do not connect. SAFE BD and Green+ are therefore helping to build a shared platform where government agencies, exporters, testing bodies, banks and logistics providers agree who acts on each step, by when, and review progress together. Linking these steps is what turns technical progress into consignments that buyers accept, and it gives Bangladesh’s wider horticulture sector a practical route to export readiness.
The event was organised with support from the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), IFIC Bank PLC and the Australian Government, with the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, as knowledge partner. It closed with a shared understanding that Bangladesh's vegetable export potential depends on coordinated improvements across the whole export system, from the farm to the buyer.
SAFE BD and Green+ are funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), IFIC Bank PLC and Australian High Commission, implemented by Swisscontact in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Department of Agricultural Extension, SGS Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters' Association (BFVAPEA). The projects strengthens SPS compliance and institutional capacity to enhance Bangladesh's export readiness in the vegetable sector, particularly for gourd varieties.