Does government intervention promote export competitiveness? An empirical case study of Bangladesh seafood exports

This study focuses on the competitiveness of seafood exports from Bangladesh between 1980 and 2019, specifically focusing on the National Shrimp Policy (NSP), which aims to enhance sustainable and environmentally friendly production practices to boost exports. Bangladesh's performance is compared to six other Southeast Asian countries, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Employing the Local Projection Estimator (LPE) method and focusing on Market Share (MS) as a key metric, the study quantifies the competitiveness of fish exports. The results reveal that all countries studied exhibit average comparative advantages with minor fluctuations over ten-year intervals. Notably, India, Pakistan, and Indonesia have demonstrated significant consistency in enhancing their fish export competitiveness compared to their nearest rivals. Despite achieving its goals of sustainable production and market growth, the NSP has impacted the export potential negatively in the short term. This study offers vital policy insights and recommendations for adopting sustainable and environmentally friendly production methods, crucial for maintaining competitiveness in the global fish export market and meeting international demands.