Bangladeshi cabbages in Southeast Asian market

Cabbage exports from Bangladesh have surged nearly 6,000 per cent by volume this year over that of the past year. The country has shipped a record 6,500 tonnes in one and a half months until February 15, fetching an estimated $1.5-million in export receipts. It exported just 107 tonnes in 2020, according to the plant quarantine wing of the agriculture department. Competitors like China, Pakistan and India have produced less cabbage than expected this year mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic, fuelling a rise in demand for the item. Bangladesh mainly exported the item to Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia. Malaysia is the biggest importer of Bangladeshi cabbage followed by Singapore. The Southeast Asian nation imported close to 5,000 tonnes, Singapore over 1,000 tonnes and Taiwan nearly 500 tonnes. "We've so far exported 6,500 tonnes by sea and there are more in the pipeline," said Md Shamsul Alam, additional director (plant quarantine) at the Department of Agriculture ...