Bangladesh needs a world class laboratory that can analyse food properties and trace heavy metals, additives, pesticide residues and toxic substances in food, a study has said.
The “Study on Food Safety Policy” was presented at a seminar titled “Food Analysis for Agricultural Inputs and Food Safety” in the city yesterday.
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) is mandated to certify the quality food materials for local consumption, export or import and also entrusted to grade and mark agricultural produce.
Dr Zahurul Karim, former secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, said there are many laboratories in the country which analyse food qualities but none of them has international accreditation, barring the implementation of the coveted “safe food act.”
However, there is only a handful of laboratories in the country such as that of the Department of Fisheries which can test and certify quality of shrimp and other fish before export in line with the international safety standards, he said.
He also said instead of 15 government agencies working to implement the safe food act, there should be just one, said researcher Saleh Ahmed while presenting the study.
The quality of agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers are also very crucial for producing quality food grains in adequate quantities, speakers said at the programme.
According to another study titled “Improving the Quality of Agricultural Inputs” conducted by the Centre for Agriresearch and Sustainable Environment and Entrepreneurship Development (CASEED), farmers in most cases are getting low quality inputs.
Bangladesh farmers usually get seeds from Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), private companies and seed traders while some farmers grow and preserve their own seed banks.
Based on field consultation, the study shows that farmers prefer seeds supplied by the BADC.
Currently, the country requires around 1.2 million tonnes of seeds annually. Of the volume, 6 to 6.5 tonnes go into potato cultivation.
The study also says that sometimes the fertilizer supplied BADC is better than what designated government agency Bangladesh Fertilizer Association provides.
Based on data from a 2011 study of the Soil Resource Development Institute, this study says that around 65% fertilizers in available in the local market are below standard.
The study also says that farmers are not aware and capable of choosing the right pesticides from among the low quality and fake ones available in the market.
The seminar was organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
