Russia has evinced interest to import mango from Bangladesh.
Agriculture Minister Md. Abdur Razzque said this after a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Vikentyevich Mantytskiy at his secretariat office on Wednesday.
He said, “The Russian ambassador gave us a suggestion that there is a huge opportunity to export mangoes to Russia.”
Russian Ambassador Alexander Vikentyevich Mantytskiy said, “The mangoes of Bangladesh are very tasty and of high quality. There is a huge potential for mango export to Russia. Russia is interested in taking mangoes from here.”
On the other hand, Bangladesh wants to import DAP and potassium fertilizers from Russia on Government to Government (G2G) basis.
The Minister of Agriculture has expressed interest in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russia in this regard.
At this time the chairman of BADC Dr. Amitabh Sarkar, Member Director (Fertilizer Management) AKM Munirul Haque, Deputy Secretary of the ministry Sharifa Ahmed, and embassy officials were present.
Since 2013, Bangladesh has been importing MOP fertilizer from Russia on G2G basis.
The Agriculture Minister requested the Russian envoy to reconsider the import of potatoes from Bangladesh to Russia. He said, “The Bangladesh government has taken many steps to make potatoes bacteria free and safe. Many high quality potatoes are being produced in the country now. Russia may resume potato imports.”
It is to be noted that Russia has imposed a ban on the export of potatoes from Bangladesh since 2014 due to the detection of brown rot disease in potatoes.
The Russian ambassador said that necessary steps would be taken to import potatoes.
The Agriculture Minister further said, “Russia is a genuine friend of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has deep ties with Russia since the beginning of the independence struggle. I firmly believe that our relationship will remain intact. In the future, cooperation will increase in all fields including economic, social and cultural.”
