& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Anti-adulteration drive soon, says minister

Star Business Report
The food and disaster management minister has said an anti-adulteration drive will soon be set in to ensure quality food.
“We are going to strengthen the drive against food adulteration, which remains suspended for the last few months,M Dr Abdur Razzaque told the launch of a new organisation in Dhaka yesterday.
Held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), the function was also addressed by Food and Agriculture Organisation representative Ad Spijkcrs and BARC Executive Chairman DrWais Kabir.
The minister said the government wants that the executive magistrates regain their authority to instantly try some offenders, including the persons responsible to make foods toxic.
“The Mobile Court Bill 2009 now awaits parliament's endorsement following its approval by the cabinet early this month. Once this bill is signed into a law, executive magistrates will face no bar to establish mobile courts to ensure food safety,’’ Razzaque said.
At present, the judicial magistrates can only operate such mobile courts against criminal activities, including adulteration of food, after separation of the judiciary.
The executive magistrates, who are officials from the administration cadre of the government, were stripped of any judicial power on November 1, 2007 through amendment to the CrPc.
However, the new bill did not recommend much authority to these mobile courts. It suggests that such courts may only fine the offenders, in default, a three-month simple imprisonment.
The law enforcement agencies along with other organisations concerned will be bound to give necessary assistance to executive magistrates in operating such mobile courts, the minister said.
Razzaque said every possible measure will be taken to ensure availability of quality food at reasonable prices in the local market.
In this context he underscored the need to create awareness among countrymen, and to organise and strengthen a social movement against adulteration of all types offood items.
The replacement of the pesticides diminishing the soil fertility and causing its contamination is also urgent, the minister pointed out, urging innovation of newer technologies.
"The government plans to strengthen the Integrated Pest Management (1PM) to ensure safe use of pesticides. IPM would also help kill harmful insects for agriculture," added Razzaque.
The FAO official in his speech at the function stressed better technology to increase food production and ensure food security in Bangladesh.
“A better co-ordination among different ministries to provide necessary services to farmers and create awareness about technology usages for raising farm productivity is urgent,” Spijkers said.
The BARC chief urged the government to build up a strong food inspection system to ensure food quality.
This system would also ensure transparency and accountability in the chain from farmers to trader, and finally to the consumers, Kabir pointed out.
Narrating the objectives of the new organisation, Bangladesh Safe Agro Food Efforts (B-safe) Foundation, Dr Mohammad Jainul Abedin, its president, said it would help produce healthy food and assist farmers to properly market their produces.
Dr Syed Nurul Alam, principal scientific officer of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, and Dr M Abdul Momin, general secretary of B-safe, were also present.