The government has decided to import formalin through state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh to control misuse of the chemical as a preservative with fruits, fish and other food items.
The decision was taken at a meeting on finalisation of the draft Formalin Control Act 2013 held at the commerce ministry on Sunday.
“We have decided to purchase formalin through TCB,” an official told the Dhaka Tribune after the meeting.
A five-member committee has been formed to find out advantages and disadvantages of importing formalin through TCB for use both in private and public sectors.
Meeting insiders said Additional Commerce Secretary ATM Murtaza Reza Chowdhury will head the committee which has been asked to report in a week.
The committee will discuss with the stakeholders like FBCCI, different business associations and representatives of BCIC and BCSIR.
Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said businessmen expressed their concern at the meeting, saying restriction on import of formaldehyde would hamper many industries that rely heavily on the chemical.
Formalin is currently imported by the private sector for industrial use with prior permission from the commerce ministry. Add Formalin:
Around 87.20 tonnes of formalin were imported in the last six months of the 2012-13 fiscal year, marking a drastic fall from 544.85 tonnes imported in the fiscal 2009-10.
Consumer rights groups have long been demanding restriction on its import and commercial use as the chemical’s presence in fresh foods beyond permissible limit poses public health risk. Frequent anti-formalin raids conducted by different authorities in kitchen market helped little to contain the malpractice by unscrupulous businessmen due to easy availability of the chemical.
Responding to the concerns, the government on November 7, 2012 decided to restrict import of formaldehyde and made prior permission from the commerce ministry mandatory for importing the chemical.
The commerce ministry initiated the process of drafting Formalin Control Act 2013. As per the draft law, unauthorised possession, production, import and distribution of the industrial chemical could result in imprisonment up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Tk 500,000.
Repeat offenders could end up receiving heavier sentences up to 15 years’ imprisonment, the draft stipulates.
According to doctors, the substance destroys the immune system of the human anatomy which could cause brain and blood cancer. It is imperative that
The draft act might be passed into law in the next session of parliament, commerce ministry officials said.
The government’s decision to task TCB with importing formalin has met with criticism from chemical importers, whose representatives were present at the commerce ministry meeting.
Bangladesh Perfume Merchants’ Association General Secretary Belalyet Hossain alleged that the government officials had not sought their opinion before taking the decision of using the TCB for formalin import.
“We have already protested the government’s attitude in the meeting. Business associations understand that the government will finalise the draft law without their opinion,” he said.
He, however, felt that the proposed law should be strictly enforced to stop misuse of formalin as restricting import alone would not check its availability in the local market. He said there was no formal import of formalin in the last one year, but its misuse in fruits, fish and other food items was not stopped.
Belayet Hossain said the commerce secretary wants to enact the Formalin Control Act in a haste without considering importers and industrial users’ opinions.
Formalin is used in the manufacturing of particle boards, plywood, disinfectants, and in laboratories and mortuaries, he added.