DNCC blacklists Marshal Agrovet over BTI scandal

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has moved to blacklist Marshal Agrovet Company Ltd due to alleged fraudulence in the import of BTI, an organic pesticide used to eliminate the larvae of dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, reports bdnews24.com.

In an order issued on Friday, the DNCC said that a substantial quantity of BTI had been procured from Marshal Agrovet, which the supplier claimed had been sourced from Best Chemical Industries in Singapore.

However, Best Chemical Industries refuted Marshal Agrovet's claim, asserting that the BTI supplied to the DNCC did not originate from its facilities.

Marshal Agrovet was subsequently issued two letters for an explanation.

The firm issued a response on Aug 17. But upon review, the authorities concluded that Marshal Agrovet hadn't been able to substantiate their claim that the BTI was procured from Best Chemical Industries.

Subsequent inquiries also revealed that Best Chemical Industries had not provided any BTI to Marshal Agrovet, which was not an authorised distributor of the Singaporean firm.

As a result of these findings, the DNCC announced in an official order that Marshal Agrovet had engaged in fraudulent activities and, consequently, had been blacklisted from all engagements with the city authority.

The DNCC had earlier introduced BTI to combat the Aedes mosquito larvae responsible for spreading diseases such as dengue and said it had sourced five tonnes of the insecticide from Singapore's Best Chemical Industries in Singapore, with Marshall Agrovet facilitating the procurement.

After media reports emerged, Best Chemicals issued a statement on its official Facebook page, denying any involvement in supplying BTI and threatening to take legal action.