Expressing concern over the crisis over pasteurized milk, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said “I do not know what sort of test was carried out by the respective professor or why a writ was lodged at court.”
There is deficit of milk in the market and livelihoods of those who earn a living by their farms are in jeopardy.
Since imported powder milk is never analysed, there is speculation about shenanigans by milk importers.
Hasina made the remarks on Tuesday (Jul 30), during a teleconference from London.
“Antibiotics are administered to keep domestic animals free of disease and therefore, there may be some antibiotic present in milk; however, the government is working to tackle the crisis,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina also spoke about banning producing, marketing, selling and consumption of pasteurised milk produced by 14 companies.
The prime minister said all on a sudden a professor said after conducting a test that milk of those companies is not usable and the High Court banned the pasteurisation of the milk of the 14 companies for five weeks following a writ.
Sheikh Hasina said nobody thinks about its real results. “What will be the fate of those who earn livelihoods by selling the milk … what will be their condition if they cannot earn money and feed their cows?”
“Thinking about this reality is very much necessary,” she added.
The prime minister asked whether the professor who conducted the test of milk of the 14 companies examined the imported milk.
“I think he didn’t do it. So, he should examine the matters of importing, storing, packaging and marketing of the imported milk,” she said.
“So it should be examined whether there is any trick of the importers and whether they are encouraging anybody to this end,” Hasina said.
The premier said her government is encouraging the people to set up dairy farms. “We’ve ensured food security of the people, now we want to ensure their nutrition,” she said.
