A move is underway to increase export of mung bean to Japan considering its huge potential in the Japanese market, officials said.
As part of the move, a Japanese business delegation is going to have a meeting with the commerce ministry officials in the city on July 1.
The meeting will focus on the issue of greater export of mung bean, deputy secretary at the commerce ministry Rathindra Nath Datta told the FE.
Director of Grameen Euglena Shinji Morosawa, its manager Tomoyasu Ebana and senior executive Md Ramim Hasan are expected to meet with the senior secretary of the ministry.
Bangladesh grows two types of mung bean (scientific name phaseolus mungo) -- one is small and another is big in size.
Most people in the country are used to consume small size of mung bean.
But there is a huge export potential for mung bean to Japan and Korea.
At present, a small quantity of mung bean is being exported to Japan.
Farmers in Tangail and Bhola cultivate mung bean mainly in char areas.
They sell the produce, locally known as mug dal, at Tk 60 a kg.
The growers have an yield of about 14 or 15 maunds of mung bean per acre.
One maund of mung bean now sells at between Tk 2400 and Tk 2500.
Buoyed by the export potential of mung bean, some private organisations have come forward to export the produce.
They started imparting training to farmers to increase the production of mung bean.
If farmers get proper training and necessary supports from the government and the private sector, production and export of mung bean will surge significantly, an official of the Department of Agriculture Extension told the FE.
Presently, the country exports 500 tonnes of mung bean a year.
But it has the potential to export 5000 tonnes annually, according to the sector insiders.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com