Higher duty on dairy sector

Milk is a good source of nutrition. We can get a lot of nutrients including calcium, protein, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin and niacin -- all from a glass of milk. These nutrients have many health benefits.

A study shows that local dairy production meets only 40 to 69 per cent of demand for milk. In this situation, imported milk can help us meet our nutrient demands. But our finance minister has proposed to raise the import duty on milk powder to 10 per cent from existing 5.0 per cent in the recent budget.

If the government remains firm about raising the import duty and if the foreign companies leave Bangladesh after being discouraged due to the high tax rate, we will not be able to meet our nutrient demands from our inadequate amount of locally produced milk. The government should keep the import duty lower so that we can get this basic necessity at a lower price.

Sohel Ahmed

Uttara, Dhaka