Commerce Minister Urges Digital Traceability In Shrimp Sector

Highlighting the need to solidify Bangladesh's footprint across global premium seafood markets, Commerce Minister Khondokar Abdul Muktadir has underscored the implementation of end-to-end digital traceability, sustainable farming, and compliance with labor standards. He urged stakeholders to transition away from legacy paperwork to unified digital tracking systems while addressing a high-level policy dialogue on the shrimp industry held on Thursday evening, 15 October 2026, at the Sheraton Dhaka.

The symposium was jointly convened by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA), and Totalfood Processing (Pvt.) Limited, a member entity of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA).

Delivering the keynote address, the commerce minister highlighted that while Bangladesh’s frozen fish and shrimp shipments expanded by 19 percent over the past year to reach roughly $300 million, the industry operates far below its structural ceiling. In contrast to neighboring India, which generated over $5 billion in shrimp exports during 2024–25, Bangladesh possesses approximately 42 percent more arable shrimp-farming land yet trails in aggregate export value. The minister emphasized that this divergence should be treated as an incentive to upgrade farm productivity, breed quality, and supply-chain logistics.

The minister pointed out that modern international retail buyers evaluate criteria beyond basic physical specifications, scrutinizing workplace safety, fair wages, and ecological sustainability across the production pipeline. To address these compliance parameters, the Ministry of Commerce has formed a dedicated "Responsible Business Conduct Cell," while actively drafting a comprehensive national policy framework alongside institutional traceability protocols. Citing the European Union as the country's primary export destination, he noted that ongoing trade governance reforms aim to pave the way toward future bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

The session featured remarks from special guest Michal Krejza, Head of Development Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh, with ILO Country Director for Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen (Max Tunon) delivering the closing address. Multilateral representatives affirmed that cross-sectoral collaboration between policymakers, development partners, and commercial processors remains essential to establishing Bangladeshi shrimp as an ethically sourced, sustainable premium brand globally, official sources confirmed.