The New Nation - Internet Edition

International Finance Corporation-SouthAsia Enterprise Development Facility (IFCSEDF) works with SMEs to improve their access to international markets and increase the competitiveness of their exports. For SMEs working in the food and agro-processing sector, quality assurance and certification are critical in order to gain access to international markets. However, obtaining certification such as the RACCP or ISO 220000 was an obstacle as there was a lack of service providers who could conduct the audits necessary and assist SMEs to obtain this certification. As such, IFC-SEDF organized a five-day long Lead Auditor Course on HACCP and ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System at a hotel in Dhaka.

The course was conducted by Quality Institute of America (QIA) and URS Bangladesh Limited, in association with CMC International (UK) Limited. The opening session was presided over by Ms Afifa Raihana, Coordinator, Sustainability, IFC-SEDF. Wazir U Alam, Executive Vice President, QIA, Chris McHale, Registered Lead Auditor and Managing Director, CMC International (UK) Limited, Rashid Munir Akhter, Registered Lead Auditor and Managing Director, URS Bangladesh Limited also spoke on the occasion.

Ms. Raihana asserts "Our processed food and agribusiness sector has great potential to grow. This course is a critical step to help SMEs in the sector access service providers who can help them reach their potential."

The Lead Tutor for the course was Chris McHale of CMC International (UK) Limited, Co- Tutor, Rashid Munir Akhter of URS Bangladesh Limited, Co-Tutor, Mukesh Singhal of URS Group, India and Dr. Ashis Ratan Sen, local food law expert. Senior management, production and quality control executives from BSTI, Food Industries and Consulting firms participated in the training course. The course tutors discussed at length the basic and fundamental guidelines of ISO 22000 as well as the mandatory regulatory requ irements.