The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has sought cooperation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to establish lab facilities at land, sea and international airports.

FBCCI Senior Vice President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury made the call during a meeting with the representatives of the Jica and the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) at the chamber's office in Dhaka yesterday.

There is a huge demand for Bangladeshi food and agro products in the northeastern states of India, and accredited lab facilities at the land ports will facilitate the export of the products to the states, he said in a press release.

"Airports and seaports' labs will help Bangladesh explore the export opportunities in the global food market," Chowdhury said, urging the Jica to come up with a financial and technical assistance project.

FBCCI Vice-president Amin Helaly said a significant part of the agricultural produce perish due to the poor supply chain and preservation system. Farmers are also being deprived of fair prices.

He urged the Jica to extend its assistance to food processing and preservation at the upazila level.

A loan proposal is awaiting approval to initiate a project for establishing a reference laboratory and training complex jointly by the BFSA and the Jica, said Rezaul Karim, a member of the BFSA.

Teruaki Fujii, a representative of the Jica, stressed ensuring safe food in order to achieve sustainable food security.

The Jica's upcoming project will create the scope for the private sector food-processing industry to flourish, he assured.