Chemical experts to check standard of imported food items at Ctg port
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Doulot Akter Mala
With growing concern on import of substandard food items in the country, the government has taken a move to strengthen the checking mechanism in the port of entry.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to engage some chemical experts from Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) in the chemical analysis lab at Chittagong port.
It has sought six chemical experts from the two major standard testing entities to check the standards of imported items in Chittagong port.
In the backdrop of limited experts and chemists in the port the NBR has initiated the move to thwart import of substandard food items in the country, said a senior official of customs.
"We have requested the two quality control wings of government for providing assistance to the customs in order to prevent the import of substandard goods through the port," said a senior official of customs.
Along with the food items, the technicians will also check import of restricted chemicals for pharmaceutical, textiles and other sectors.
"As there is no provision to appoint those officials in the customs house we have to engage them temporarily," he said.
The government is also planning to change the organogram of customs house to include experts from those wings in the customs house, he said.
"Now, we have to take assistance from them on temporary basis due to absence of revised organogram," he added.
For now, outsourcing is the most effective way to strengthen the checking in the port through the help of technicians, he said.
"We can not accommodate all the facility or equipment in ports like BSTI or BCSIR, but primary level harmful chemical tests are possible if skilled technicians and chemists remain available in the port," he said.
The government's concern on food safety issues has increased following the detection of harmful chemical in powdered milk, a commerce ministry official said.
It is widely alleged that the import policy has no proper guideline on checking food items in the ports, he said.
Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman recently also stressed the need for revising the import policy to check entrance of contaminated food items.
With growing concern on import of substandard food items in the country, the government has taken a move to strengthen the checking mechanism in the port of entry.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to engage some chemical experts from Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) in the chemical analysis lab at Chittagong port.
It has sought six chemical experts from the two major standard testing entities to check the standards of imported items in Chittagong port.
In the backdrop of limited experts and chemists in the port the NBR has initiated the move to thwart import of substandard food items in the country, said a senior official of customs.
"We have requested the two quality control wings of government for providing assistance to the customs in order to prevent the import of substandard goods through the port," said a senior official of customs.
Along with the food items, the technicians will also check import of restricted chemicals for pharmaceutical, textiles and other sectors.
"As there is no provision to appoint those officials in the customs house we have to engage them temporarily," he said.
The government is also planning to change the organogram of customs house to include experts from those wings in the customs house, he said.
"Now, we have to take assistance from them on temporary basis due to absence of revised organogram," he added.
For now, outsourcing is the most effective way to strengthen the checking in the port through the help of technicians, he said.
"We can not accommodate all the facility or equipment in ports like BSTI or BCSIR, but primary level harmful chemical tests are possible if skilled technicians and chemists remain available in the port," he said.
The government's concern on food safety issues has increased following the detection of harmful chemical in powdered milk, a commerce ministry official said.
It is widely alleged that the import policy has no proper guideline on checking food items in the ports, he said.
Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman recently also stressed the need for revising the import policy to check entrance of contaminated food items.