Non-resident Bangladeshis living in the UK will for the first time organise a catering exposition in London in October to promote Bangladesh’s traditional foodstuff.
The three-day Bangladesh Catering Expo will be held at Waterlily on 69-89 Mile End Road in London between October 3-5, organisers said yesterday.
The event aims to promote Bangladeshi curries and other related products in the UK market and create a business link between the two countries, said MK Zaman Jewel, chairman of the exposition committee, at a programme at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka.
At present, there are 15,000 restaurants in the UK. Of them, 92 percent are owned by Bangladeshi-born British citizens, said Jewel.
“The customers in the UK now know about Bangladeshi cuisines, thanks to a promotional campaign,” he said.
While presenting the keynote paper, Maria Davice, a British marketing consultant, said the Indians, Chinese and Germans are the main suppliers of curry materials although more than 90 percent restaurants are owned by Bangladeshi-born British citizens.
Bangladeshis are hardly supplying the curry materials to British restaurants, although there is a huge potential for business, she said.
“This is happening because, probably India, China and Germany have easy access to the UK, and many people in Bangladesh are not aware of the UK market and products’ demand,” Davice said.
A research showed that the catering industry contributed five billion pounds to the British economy despite an economic downturn in recent years. The sector has continued to grow for years, Davice said.
“The exhibition will guarantee a turnout of up to one third of the total restaurateurs and the sales,” she said.
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said he would extend his cooperation as the Bangladeshi-born British have showed interests to establish a catering university in Bangladesh to create skilled human resources.
“We have a lot of business opportunity in the UK as the EU has already relaxed the rules of origin under the generalised system of preferences,” he said.
Kevin Ringham, head of trade and investment of the British High Commission in Dhaka, said Bangladesh exported goods worth 1.13 billion pounds to the UK in 2010, up 11 percent from a year earlier.
During the same period, Bangladesh imported goods worth 114 million pounds from Britain, which is 68 percent higher than in 2009.
Ringham said the UK has recently launched a new five-year strategy, Britain Open for Business, to win business overseas, attract inward investors and strengthen strategic partnerships.
He said the strategy also sets out plans how the government will provide practical support to exporters and investors to make a significant contribution to realising the UK government’s ambitions for growth.
“We are therefore keen as ever to explore further business opportunities with Bangladesh not only in garments and foods, but also in power generation and equipment, pharmaceuticals, transport, logistics and other emerging sectors,” Ringham said.
Jalal Ahmed, vice chairman of Export Promotion Bureau, said the curry industry in Britain started its journey 400 years ago with a Bangladeshi-born man from Sylhet region.
“We are trying to grab the UK’s curry market through inspiring local agro-products growers and suppliers,” he said.
A Rouf Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Edible Oil Refiners Association, also spoke.
-With The Daily Star input
