Amu berates refiners for holding back vitamin-fortified oil use

FE Report | Published: January 08, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Industries minister Amir Hossain Amu Wednesday hit out at refiners for securing a High Court injunction, thus delay the implementation of a law for promoting vitamin-fortified oil use.
The government passed the 'Edible Oil Fortification with Vitamin A Act in 2013 to improve the nutritional status of the people.
"I've talked with the attorney general over the issue and I hope it will be cleared soon," Mr Amu said.
Presently, out of 25 oil refinery companies, only 6 firms are marketing oil with vitamin A fortification, he said.
"We'll take necessary measures to enforce the law," the minister said.
He was addressing a roundtable, organised by a unit of the ministry in the city to make the people aware about the importance of consuming vitamin A fortified oil.
Country Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Basanta Kumar Kar, Project Director Lutfar Rahman Tarafdar and Assistant Director Mumtahenah Siddiquee, among others, addressed the roundtable conference.
He also called upon the companies to adopt the fortification initiative to reduce the malnutrition from the country, which is a serious threat to public health.
Terming the malnutrition the 'silent emergency,' the GAIN country director also stressed the need for fortification of vitamin A with the edible oil, which is cost effective.
"It costs only Tk 0.19 to fortify per kilogram edible oil with the much-needed vitamin A, which can largely reduce deficiency of the vitamin among the cross section of people, particularly children," he said.
He said Bangladesh becomes the first country in South Asia to introduce mandatory requirement for the fortification of refined edible oil with the Vitamin A.
Co-director of the programme Mumtahenah Siddiquee said fortification of oil requires very little modification of the processing operations and is relatively simple.

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