The Environment and Climate Change Movement (PARIJA) formed a human chain at Dhaka University (DU) demanding that all fruit, including seasonal fruit, be made free of harmful chemicals.

The human chain was held in front of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts at 11am on Saturday (18 May).

Engineer Abdus Sobhan said food is heavily adulterated, from production to marketing, for excess profit. The Bangladesh government has made laws against it, but its manpower for field-level monitoring is comparatively very small, he said.

He said adulterated food is increasing liver and kidney complications among people of all ages and could take a dreadful turn if not addressed now. Traders must be honest first, he said, adding that food must be made free of adulteration through strict enforcement of the law.

Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, former president of the Dhaka University Environment Society, said fruit is among the most important sources of the minerals the human body needs. "Unfortunately, harmful chemicals are being mixed into fruit too, driving many towards illness and premature death. This amounts to a crime." Government and non-government organisations and ordinary people must become aware to escape this dreadful situation, he said.

Environmental activist Sanowarul Haque Sani said most of the fruit people eat today is adulterated, with harmful chemicals added from the farmer level through to marketing, and there is not enough government monitoring.

Environmental activists, volunteers and social workers from various organisations attended the human chain.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.