DESPITE concerns and criticisms from different quarters about the "substandard" quality of wheat imported from Brazil, the government is going ahead with its plans of distributing the wheat under different safety net schemes, such as Test Relief, Open Market Sales and Food for Work programmes. For instance, 500 tonnes of low-quality wheat was distributed for social safety net schemes meant for economically disadvantaged populations in Kushtia on Sunday, even though, a day earlier, ruling party lawmaker, Abdur Rouf, from Kushtia-4 constituency (Kumarkhali-Khoksa) had refused to store the imported wheat in warehouses, arguing that he had checked samples of grains and found it unfit for human consumption

Of the 1.5 lakh tonnes of imported wheat - which the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) itself has denoted as substandard - one lakh tonne has been allocated for the poor. Are we to assume that the low-quality food grains, rejected by numerous quarters, are being pushed down the gullets of those who have little power, knowledge or choice to turn them down? The police have already refused the share allocated to them as rations, but who, if not the government, will take care of the interests of the poor?

The government report to the HC has claimed that the imported wheat is, in fact, edible since its quality is within the admissible parameters. However, given the scandal surrounding the import itself and amid apprehensions about attempts to cover up the incident, we must wait for the HC order on the subject of import of wheat.