Bangladesh, Brazil discuss importing cattle before Eid-ul-Azha

Bangladesh seeks to import cattle from Brazil, a South American country, before the next Eid-ul-Azha.

Bangladesh’s state minister for commerce, Ahasanul Islam alias Titu, made a request to the visiting Brazil foreign minister Mauro Vieira in this regard Sunday.

The state minister for commerce paid a courtesy call on the Brazil foreign minister at a city hotel in the afternoon.

After the meeting, Ahasanul Islam told the media that there was an emphasis on animal protein from the Brazil side. They especially mentioned that they export meat at a very low price.

Speaking about this, the state minister further said, “I requested them personally, if they could export cattle before the Eid-ul-Azha since it is so cheap. We will consider the possibilities. The Brazilian foreign minister said, ‘Hopefully our discussion will go ahead.’ They invited us (to visit their country) in July; hopefully, we will be able to finalise some sectors.”

Mentioning that Brazil has put emphasis on meat processing, the state minister of commerce said that, “Not only in the market of Bangladesh, rather we have encouraged them to export to the whole of Asia after processing (the meat) in Bangladesh.”

Bangladeshi-made garment products enter the Brazilian market after paying a 30 to 35 per cent tariff but Bangladesh imports a huge amount of cotton from the country.

When asked about this, the state minister said Brazil is a developing country and they protect their domestic market. The ready-made garments industry is one of their protected sectors. They only import from China and Bangladesh. They have been trying to produce the remaining amount locally. They promised it would be for the entire region, not just Brazil. For that, cooperation is being extended in such a way that they will help Bangladesh in exporting not only to Brazil, but also to other South American countries.

Earlier in the day, the Brazil foreign minister arrived in Dhaka in the morning on a two-day visit with a message to strengthen relations with Bangladesh.

Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen welcomed him at the Shahjalal International Airport.