The menace of toxic preservatives, particularly formalin, in fresh fruits, vegetables, fishes that are sold in kitchen markets remains almost unchanged as the traders resort to innovative ways to dodge the anti-formalin monitoring drives launched jointly by the government and business leaders, reports UNB.
Newer techniques like mixing formalin with the ice used for fish freezing are widely being adopted by the traders to dodge the anti-formalin drives, while many traders as well as customers of perishable items in the city markets are showing less interest in using the formalin detection kits, claimed some traders and customers.
Talking to the news agency, general secretary of Baridhara Notunbazar Kitchen Market Shop Owners' Association, Habibur Rahman, said: "The level of formalin use still remains the same. There are newer ways to dodge us. Fish sellers nowadays mix formalin with ice, instead of the fish."
"The formalin kit provided to the market also remains unused. Both the traders and customers are not interested to spend some time on the scrutiny," he added.
Traders, retail shop owners and customers at Gulshan-2 Kitchen Market also admitted that they are aware of the new techniques, but are not habituated with the testing with the formalin detection kit.
On the other hand, the ban imposed by the government on formalin import through a circular in March last year is also not proving to be effective in curbing the import as some cartels are managing to import excessive amount of formalin with false import declaration.
Vice-president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Helal Uddin said, about 40 tonnes of formalin import was recorded in 2013 despite the restriction on formalin import, an allegation denied by officials at the Commerce Ministry.
Besides, he said, the illegal use in the preservation of fish and other perishable items in the market, formalin is used in shrimp farming and in the leather industries.
Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said, they did not allow anyone to import formalin in the last one year.
Ministry sources said, despite the ban, formalin is being brought in from many countries using different names and importing through false declaration.
Asked how the health hazardous chemical is widely used amid the restriction, the secretary said, "I don't know whether formalin is now being misused. If the misuse of the chemical still continues, it might come from illegal import or earlier stocks."
He said: "It's not the responsibility of the Commerce Ministry to stop formalin import through illegal ways."
According to the sources though 15-20 applications were submitted to the ministry seeking permission for importing formalin last year, none was accepted.
When his attention was drawn to this fact, Commerce Ministry additional secretary Monoj Kumar Roy said the applications were rejected as those did not fulfill all the conditions set by the ministry in importing formalin.
