BSTI yet to conduct anti-formalin drive:Daily Sun

Seasonal fruits like pineapple, litchi and mango are now on sale in city markets. These correspondents visited various city markets last week and found that the businessmen had been doing a brisk business of the seasonal fruits. Use of chemicals to ripen fruits is a common practice in the city and elsewhere across the country. Excessive consumption of chemical-ripen fruits can cause intoxication. 

  Commenting on the issue, a BSTI official informed that they are yet to conduct raids to stop unscrupulous elements from playing with the health of common man. “We usually carry out regular tests on 50-60 fruit items in six divisions every month. But we are yet to chalk out a detailed programme for conducting raids to stop unscrupulous elements from playing with the health of common man ahead of the season”, said BSTI assistant director, M Riazul Haque. Last year, BSTI officials and police cracked down on a number of fruit stockists of the city and destroyed a large number of harmful fruits causing their losses.  According to these correspondents, a panic of sudden anti-formalin drives grips the fruit traders of the city. They said it will be good for both the traders and consumers if the concerned authorities make an announcement prior to anti-formalin drives. At Badamtali, the country’s biggest wholesale market of fruits, these correspondents saw that retail traders had been buying litchi, mango and pine-apple from the wholesalers. When asked about anti-formalin drives, a wholesaler named Sattar Mia said, “We are yet to face such drive this season.” At Karwan Bazar, another major wholesale kitchen market of the country, these correspondents saw the fruit wholesalers happy with the supply of the fruits. While talking about anti-formalin drives, some wholesale traders said they are not aware about such drive. BSTI official Riazul Haque informed these correspondents that a chemical substance like ethephon is used by unscrupulous traders for ripening fruits, while they use formalin for long time preservation of fruits. He stressed on making consumers aware about the bad impacts of the chemicals applied in fruits to avert health risk. Contacted, acting DC of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Media) Jahangir Alam told daily sun, “We are yet to take decisions on conducting anti-formalin drives like that of previous year.” “We shall conduct awareness programmes before conducting anti-formalin drives,” he said. When these correspondents approached the treasurer of Badamtalee Fruit Traders’ Association, he said preferring not to be named, “Last year, the fruit traders incurred huge loss due to anti-formalin drives conducted by the authorities concerned. They used faulty Formaldehyde Meter Z-300 to conduct the drive.” “Even, the High Court issued a rule on the test by Formaldehyde Meter Z-300.We don’t want any more loss this year”, he said. “We are taking all-out preparations so that adulterated fruits can not enter the capital,” he assured.