The country's export earnings from agricultural products are expected to exceed US$ 2.0 billion in the next two years, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said on Thursday.
To boost the exports from the agriculture sector, the government has taken several initiatives jointly with the private sector, he said.
The minister spoke as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the 6th BAPA Foodpro International Expo 2018 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.
Presently, the volume of shipment of agro product stands at $576 million, which was $12 million in 2005, said the minister.
The Bangladesh Agro Processors' Association (BAPA) and the Extreme Exhibition and Event Solution Ltd. (E3S) jointly organised the three-day expo along with the 5th Rice Tech Expo and the 8th Bangladesh Agro Expo at the same venue.
A total of 149 organisations from 15 countries are taking part in the fairs to exhibit food processing machinery and technologies, packaging technology, farm technology and processed and packaged foods.
Speaking on the occasion, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the existing cooperation between the two countries have benefited both of them.
India's food and beverage exports are now worth $32 billion and the country is eyeing to raise it to $70 billion within 2020, he said.
He also said Bangladeshi food processing companies can buy machinery from Indian companies.
Bangladeshi food products have also good potential in the Indian market of 1.3 billion people, he added.
Chairman of Pran-RFL Group Ahsan Khan Chowdhury said local agro processors have been working relentlessly for the development of food processing sector since independence.
The key objective of the local processors is to grow keeping pace with the international trend, he said.
Commercial expansion and introduction of modern technology to local organisations are the main goals of the fair, said Mr Khan, also chairman of the Foodpro Expo Observation Committee.
Country director of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Manmohan Parkash, Canadian high commissioner to Dhaka Benoit Prefontaine and director general of Bangladesh Standers and Testing Institutions (BSTI) Sardar Abul Kalam also spoke.
BAPA President AFM Fakhrul Islam Munshi delivered the welcome address while secretary of the organisation Md Iqtadul Haque gave the vote of thanks.
The fairs will remain open from 10:00am to 7:00pm daily up to October 27.
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