Academics and rights activists in a seminar on Saturday said that there are about 25 laws to protect consumer rights and to ensure food safety, but the laws did not make any significant improvement in situation due to the lack of the proper implementation of the laws that have many loopholes.
They said that consumer rights and food safety are still a far cry even after 50 years of the country’s independence.
They complained that a good number of commissions were formed to protect consumer rights, but the commissions favoured business people instead of consumers.
Voluntary Consumers Training and Awareness Society organised the seminar at the Centre for Advanced Research in Sciences of Dhaka University on Saturday.
Voluntary Consumers Training and Awareness Society president and Dhaka University biochemistry and molecular biology department professor Hossain Uddin Shekhar said, ‘We can include the rights of consumers in textbooks and broadcast in televisions to build awareness of rights and food safety. A few organisations, namely Consumers Association of Bangladesh, spoke about the issues.’
He said that university teachers could play an important role in raising such awareness.
‘The main problem of the country’s food safety is people here prioritise tasty food over nutritious food,’ he added.
In his welcome speech, VOCTA executive director Khalilur Rahman Sajal said, ‘We cannot reach the expected level about consumer rights after the 50 years of the country’s independence as the business people are financially strong and are in a strong position in society.’
The consumer rights activist also said that business people were united while the consumers are unorganised.
Addressing the seminar as the chief guest, food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said that his ministry only looks after two crops — rice and wheat — while rice is mainly produced in Bangladesh but wheat is imported from other countries.
‘We held an inter-ministerial meeting about how to ensure food security by strengthening the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority. Two organisations of two ministries cannot work to serve same purpose. We demand a lone regulatory body but the BSTI opposed it,’ he added.
He said that they would give it to the Cabinet Division and they will decide.
VOCTA director Mohosinul Karim presented the keynote paper presentation on the topic ‘Golden Jubilee of Independence: Food Safety, expectation and achievement to protect consumers’ interest.
He said that the country could not be able to institutionalise consumers’ rights after the 50 year of its independence even though having so many institutions and laws.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and others are working to ensure consumer rights and food safety, but the country’s market is business friendly instead of protecting consumer rights, said the speakers.
Dhaka University marketing department professor Mijanur Rahman, Global TV Bangladesh editor-in-chief and chief executive officer Syed Ishtiaq Reza were present as special guests.