"Bangladesh was wrongly put on an international list of mad cow disease-prone countries back in 2001," said Dhaka Bone and Fertiliser Industry Managing Director A Jabbar Khan.

Ever since the mad cow disease scare shook the world, the Tk 25 crore annual earning from exporting cattle bones and horns virtually stopped, although there has been no report of spotting this disease in Bangladesh.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau, earning from cattle bone export was only Tk 55 lakh in fiscal year 2003-04, which explains why the 10 bone-processing plants in the country are virtually idle now.

Exporters said if the government had taken an active interest, this unconventional export item would continue to earn the substantial amount of foreign exchange.

But the government appears not to take the issue seriously enough, while other South Asian countries promptly wiped off their names from the list, Khan mentioned.

He said, "In the wake of continued pressure from exporters, the government in 2003 asked the Brussels-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to certify whether Bangladesh has the disease or not."

In response, the OIE requested Bangladesh to pay up about 10,500 euros in dues to maintain its OIE membership and another 4,500 euros as the fee for the certification. "But", Khan regretted, "the finance ministry is yet to grant this amount."

To end the standstill, bone exporters even offered to pay the OIE money on its behalf, but the government did not permit them, Khan told The Daily Star.

Importing countries use the bones and horns as raw materials for bone grist, bone meal etc used to produce medicine, fertiliser, cosmetics, poultry feed and baby food, besides many other things.

Golam Mortuza, a trader in processed bones, urged the government to convince the foreign buyers that Bangladesh is completely free from mad cow disease.

He claimed taking advantage of the present situation some Indian traders have been buying cattle bones and horns illegally, with hundi, from Bangladesh at much lower prices and exporting to other countries.

Mortuza said, "We are not asking any favour from the government. We just want it to create a congenial atmosphere for exploring the export potentials of the cattle bone sector."

Livestock Directorate Director (Administration) Dr Abdul Motaleb said the fisheries and livestock ministry did request the finance ministry to grant the subscription money of the OIE. But it is not clear why the delay has been being made.

However, officials of the Finance Division said the ministry would soon allot the money.

"The OIE subscription money has already been approved by the secretary committee and now awaits the cabinet's approval," Finance Division Deputy Secretary Nazmus Sakib said.