After India's transshipment facility was closed, Sylhet provided good news about the export of Bangladeshi products to the world market. For the first time, a cargo flight is going to Spain from Sylhet's Osmani International Airport.
A flight of Malta-based Gallistar Infinity Aviation will take off from Sylhet to Spain on April 27 with garment products. According to the people concerned, sending garment products to Spain will create new possibilities for export to the European market. If a packaging house is built in Sylhet, it will be possible to export agricultural products manufactured in the region to European countries with expatriate populations, including the UK.
A state-of-the-art cargo complex with a capacity of 100 tons was built at Osmani International Airport at a cost of Tk 260 million to export goods from Sylhet to the outside world. Goalgadda beans, Naga peppers, Khasia betel, Taikar, Farash and bean beechi produced in the Sylhet region, Kachumukhi and Lati of Dhaka South and Zara lemon, ginger and satkara known as citrus fruits are in great demand in various European countries including the UK. These products are mainly in demand in European countries where Sylhet people live in large numbers. The business of these products is also good in supermarkets in Sylhet-populated areas. Once, these products were used to export to the UK by Bangladesh Biman passenger flights. Later, the export of these products from Sylhet was stopped due to the inability to meet the conditions of the European Union.
Currently, traders are packing their products at the packing house in Shyampur, Narayanganj and exporting these products from Dhaka. The state-of-the-art 'Export Cargo House' was originally built at Osmani Airport with the aim of exporting more agricultural products to various European countries easily from Sylhet. But although a cargo complex was built, a packing house was not built in Sylhet, and for this the possibility of exporting agricultural products from Sylhet to Europe was blocked. After testing and packing in the lab of the packing house in Shyampur, Narayanganj, it became impossible to export through Sylhet Airport. As a result, the possibility of exporting agricultural products was blocked due to the lack of a packing house.
Finally, the Civil Aviation Authority took the initiative to export garment products to Europe through Osmani Airport. This new journey will begin on April 27. On that day, a flight of Malta-based Gallistar Infinite Aviation will depart for Zaragoza of Spain, carrying 60 tons of garment products. This will be the auspicious beginning of the first cargo flight from Osmani International Airport.
Businessmen in Sylhet say that Osmani could be an important airport for exports after Dhaka. Abdul Jabbar Jalil, the recently retired senior vice president of the Sylhet Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “The start of garment exports from Osmani to Europe has opened new possibilities for import and export in the region. Now businessmen will not only be able to export but also import various products from Europe. However, if a packing house cannot be built in Sylhet, the main purpose of building a cargo house will not be realized. If only a packing house can be built, various types of agricultural products can be exported from the Sylhet region to the entire European market. This will not only increase exports, but also lead to an agricultural revolution in the Sylhet region.”
(Translated by Lutful Hoque Khan)
