Prepared by Dr Md. kamal, National consultant, BQSP-Fisheries, UNIDO.
Background
Shrimp culture plays very important role in Bangladesh particularly in the contest of export earning.. Shrimp culture started in the costal district of Satkhira in 1960s. Gradually its culture expanded to the coastal belts of Khulna, Bagerhat, Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong and now the area under shrimp culture has increased from 52,000 ha in 1982-83 to 141,000 ha in 1999-00. About 75% of this land is located in the Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts in the south-eastern region of the country. Penaeus monodon and Machrobrachium rosenbergii are the two major species cultured in Bangladesh. There are now approximately 37,397 bagda farms (P. monodon) with an average farm size of 4.5 ha. Bagda production has increased by 20% per annum in the last fifteen years. There are also 30,000 ha of land under galda (M. rosenbergii) culture with an average farm size of 0.28 to 4 ha comprising 105,000 galda farms, located mostly in Khulna division. An estimate showed that total shrimp production in 2003-04 was 114,660 MT (DOF, 2005) as against the production of 30,000 MT in 1995. It alone contributes more than 70% of the total export earning from all the agro-based products, including tea, raw jute, vegetables, fruit, etc. The shrimp industry also provides direct employment to over 600,000 people who in turn support well over 3.5 million dependents. The export performance in shrimp industries is indeed highly appreciable. In 1973, the export earnings were US$ 3.17 million, which stands at US$ 420million in 2004- 05 financial year by exporting 63,377 MT shrimp and other fishery products, in which shrimp alone contributed 89% of the total export in spite of having a severe price fluctuation in the international market(BFFEA, 2006).
Domestic Marketing Chain of Shrimp
Most shrimp produced in the farm is marketed through three supply chains: (i) farm to the processing plants directly; (ii) farm to supplier, then depot/landing center, commission agent and final delivery to the industry; and (iii) passes a number of channels that is from farm to supplier, agent, depot, commission agent and final delivery to the industry. Some farms where communication is developed transport shrimp in iced condition either by boat or by refrigerated van to the industry. Boat, truck, pickup and van are used to transport the shrimp to distant places of depot or collection centers and processing plants.
Shrimp Processing and Export
Shrimp are grown primarily for the international market and, although Bangladesh contribution is small in terms of its share of the international market (i.e. 4-5% of world production of farmed shrimp), it is the seventh largest cultured shrimp producer in the world. In 1973, there were only 15 shrimp processing plants in Bangladesh and now there are 129 fish processing plants in the country of which 65 plants are in operation. Annual production capacity of the 65 plants is about 2,60,000 MT. But due to scarcity of raw materials those plants run at about 13% of their installed capacity . Out of 65 plants, European Commission has approved 62 plants. HACCP has already been introduced in most fish processing establishments.) . At present most of the EU approved fish processing plants, 50 out of 57 are involved in processing value added products and export earning stands at about half of the total fish export values.
Bangladesh Quality Support Programme (BQSP)
Bangladesh Quality Support Programme (BQSP), fisheries component implemented by UNIDO launched a project with an expenditure of Tk 385.152 million to strengthen Fish Inspection and Quality Control Service in Bangladesh. The project was started in July 2006 and it will be completed by June 2009. Out of the Tk 385.152 million, the EU will provide Tk 265.70 million while the government of Bangladesh will provide Tk 119.450 million. Under this project two laboratories already constructed with modern equipment facilities, one in Khulna and another one Chittagong. It may be mentioned here that EU is the biggest market for Bangladesh shrimp exporters. Currently shrimp export of Bangladesh facing a number Bangladesh of key issues and constrains, among which traceability is the most important. One of the important activities of the project is to introduce traceability system in shrimp value chains
Traceability
Traceability’ means the ability to trace and follow a food, feed, food-producing animal or substance intended to be, or expected to be incorporated into a food or feed, through all stages of production, processing and distribution (Regulation (EC) N° 178/2002). The fundamental matters of traceability systems is to provide reference data to the agricultural, forestry and fisheries producers, food manufacture, distributors, retailers, food service industries, take out food supplies and other related industries that now plan to introduce traceability system. The legal requirement of EC Regulation 178/2002 to introduce traceability of food at all steps of process, to know where product came from and to know where product was sent to.
Purposes of introduction of traceability system
Traceability system can track and trace food and its information at each stage of the food chain of production, processing, distribution and can achieve the followings:
(1). Greater ability of information on followings:
- The system can secure the transparency of distribution routes;
- Provide information to the consumer, the customer and competent government agency quickly and positively;
- Reinforces the variability of product labeling by securing the complete agreement between the product managed by the ID number and labeling;
- Helps to prevent misidentification of labels and information and make transaction fairer.
- Enable consumer to get correct information about the food and its suppliers, and to make good use of this information when they buy food products and take steps to prevent risks;
- Also enable the customer and competent authority to obtain accurate information and to use the information for product and risk management purposes;
- Contribution to improvement of food safety and help to define the responsibilities of food operators
Important considerations:
While traceability systems are effective tools, they may have limitations and problems mentioned below:
1. Technical problem:
a) Traceability systems are affected by various factors such as the nature and state of raw materials, lot size, transportation method, production and manufacturing method, packing method, number of stages from production to retailing and scale and number of food business operators.
b) Traceability system become less efficient in the following areas:
- The process (eg. Order placement and receiving procedures) differ among the food business operator concerned.
- The information is unreliable
- Transmission of information between food business operator is difficult to do
- Lots are not uniform
c) Economic problems include the possibility that attempts to track or trace food and its information more accurately may result very high costs (cost of drafting the basic idea and procedure, cost of purchasing necessary equipment, cost of managing system,
cost of inspection by third party).
d) Traceability is a system for tracking and tracing food and its information and does not Directly perform safety (sanitation) management, quality control and environmental
Management in the production process.
Fundamental of introduction of traceability system:
1. Recording and storing of information at each stage:
Food business operators at each stage of food chain should at least identify food (products and raw materials) and its suppliers and purchasers, correlate them with each other, and record and store this information.
2. Mechanism for food identification:
a) determine the unit (identification unit) of the products and raw materials to be traced and mange them by assigning code/ID number to them.
b) segregate and manage products and raw materials for each identification unit.
c) correlate the identification unit of the products and raw materials with their suppliers and purchasers and record this information.
d) correlate the identification unit of raw materials with that of semi-finished and finished products and record this information.
e) if raw materials or products are combined or divided, correlate the identification unit before combination or division with that after such work and record his information.
Implementation strategy of traceability in shrimp value chains in Bangladesh.
1. Identification of actors in shrimp value chains:
The main actors in shrimp value chains are farmers, ice factories, middlemen and processing industries. To start traceability system, farmers who are registered were considered. Ice factories play an important role in hygienic system which also included in the traceability systems. Middlemen play an important role in traceability system. They have to collect shrimp from farmers and need to collect required information. Processing plant play twofold role, collect and record information about all shrimp they receive and all process parameters need to be recorded according to the process flow. The recommended traceability system for farmers, ice factories, middlemen and processing plants in shrimp value chains for pilot run test has been initiated by Mr. Reinhard Pichler, international consultants and finalized in a series of seminars held in Khulna, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar in 2007.
2. Area coding and selection of pilot run area:
The first step is to check the traceability system in shrimp value chains in a pilot run of small areas. Three upozillas, Fultala of Khulna, Rampal of Bagerhat and Ukhiya of Cox’s Bdazar were selected in a coordination meeting held with District Fishery Officers (DFO) and Upozilla Fishery Officers (UFO/SUFO) of the Department of Fisheries (DOF) of Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira, Deputy Director (DD) and other officials of Fish Inspection and Quality Control (FIQC) of the DOF and Consultants of Bangladesh Quality Support Program ( BQSP)- Fisheries Component on 29 March 2007 at 10.30 AM at Conference Hall of the DD, Khulna. Feed mills and hatcheries were not incorporated in the shrimp value chains for pilot run test. Area coding system was formulated and finalized unanimously by the participants in the coordination meeting where country code came first followed by zilla code, upozilla code, mouza and finally individual farm. Telephone code was used for country and district codes in recommended traceability system in shrimp value chains, where Upozilla, union and mouza/gel number were used according to existing LGED of the government of Bangladesh.
3. Document preparation
The traceability documents prepared by the international consultant, Mr. Reinhard Pichler and national expert, Dr. Md. Kamal are farm registration form, farm information form, supplier/depu information form, ice factory hygiene information form, factory processing information and product shellife form;
a) Farm registration form: The information includes area code, registration number of farm, location of farm (district, upozilla, union and mouza), name of owner/farmer, telephone/mobile no., nearby ice factory and farm information (no of pond, size of the pond in ha and farming practices). There is also instruction guidelines prepared on how to fill up the information by the farmers.
b) Farm information: The information includes area code, registration no., harvested pond, fry source, species, start of farming, feed use (brand/locally produced, ingredients, quantity kg/ha/day), use of pharmaceuticals (if use name, dose and date) and harvesting information (date, pond no., species, quantity, harvesting method, use of ice and delivered to).
c) Supplier/depot information: The information includes collector name/registration number, collecting information (collecting date, document no/chalan no. and date, area code of collection, species, quantity, use of ice, ice factory identification no. and delivered to).
d)
Ice factory hygiene information: The information includes area code, licence/registration no., equipment in use since, kg ice production/day, cleaning agent, use of disinfectant and cleaning protocol (date, cleaning agent/disinfectant and signature of external control).
e) Factory processing information: The information includes production date, receiving information (date, species, receiving no./lot no), collector document no./chalan no., suppliers/depus, registration no. and quality.
f) Product information: The information includes production date, receiving information and product information (product, brand, quantity and code on packaging).
g) Product shelf life: Define all products to shelf life, and a copy at processing plant and FIQC (shelf life in month).
4. Training
Up to 22 October 2007, conducted 7seminars/ training programmes by Mr. Reinhard Pichler, international consultant on implementation strategy of traceability in shrimp value chains in Khulna, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar for different stakeholders. Conducted 12 training programme on traceability and QAP for farmers, middlemen, depot, ice factory people and SUFOs of three greater districts of Khulna region by Dr. Md. Kamal, NC, FIQC and DOF officials in three pilot upozillas, Rampal of Bagerhat, Fultala of Khulna and Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar. Lecture modules on recommended traceability system, good aquaculture practice, good practice in handling and transportation of shrimp by farmers , middlemen, depot owners and at processing plants were also prepared and distributed to the users in the shrimp value chains. As at 31 October 2007 a total of 830 people have been trained along the shrimp value chain.
