The government has announced tough action against the rings that make and sell fake and adulterated milk in Pabna and Sirajganj, one of Bangladesh's main dairy regions. Industries, Commerce, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said the aim is not just mobile-court fines but breaking the whole supply chain, from production to market. A 'zero tolerance' drive against adulterated milk will begin from Pabna soon.
The announcements came on Wednesday afternoon at a meeting with dairy farmers, milk producers, suppliers and traders in the Pabna deputy commissioner's conference room, chaired by Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam. The minister joined by video conference.
Fining one or two people after finding a fake-milk factory cannot be the end of the job, the minister said; the entire chain of production and sale has to be broken. He asked field officials to stay on high alert so that dishonest rings cannot exploit shortages to cheat people, and stressed strict action under existing law against those involved, to put the dairy sector on a sustainable footing and keep safe, good-quality liquid milk in the market.
Commerce Secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan said a modern, coordinated monitoring system covering everything from production to the consumer would be built, starting with the Pabna drive. Also present were Additional Secretary Md Zahirul Islam, Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection director general Zahirul Islam, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Pabna president ABM Fazlur Rahman and Pabna Chamber senior vice-president Faridul Islam, with farmers and traders.
Speakers said milk is a key part of the daily diet, above all for children's nutrition. Allegations of adulterated or artificially made milk are a worry for public health, consumer rights and the dairy industry: genuine farmers and honest traders lose out, and consumers lose trust.
The meeting called for milk quality testing, regular market monitoring, identification of suspect production units and accountability at every step of supply, while making sure genuine farmers and legitimate traders are not harassed.
Photo: Reaid Hossain / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); hand milking in Manirampur, a representative picture
Source: Samakal
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