Former additional secretary Md Mahbub Kabir Milon has called on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to withdraw import duty and taxes on fruit. He made the demand in a social media post at 10:59am on 9 June.

Mahbub Kabir Milon wrote: "Honourable Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, please take steps to ensure people's nutrition by withdrawing import duty and taxes on fruit. All kinds of fruit are needed for proper nutrition. Domestic fruit alone will never meet the nutritional needs of older people."

Explaining why it was needed, the former additional secretary wrote: "In a country where not a single safe food can be found, it is extremely necessary to consider other sources for improving nutrition."

Finally, in a note of regret, he wrote: "Hundreds of crores of taka of food supplement or vitamin business goes on in this country every year. I did not see a single person in parliament utter a word on this matter or on safe food. This is the misfortune of this nation."

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