The Commerce Ministry has not imposed any restriction on the import of powdered milk from New Zealand-based Fonterra but asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to ensure required test before delivery. “No restriction has been imposed. The fact is that we’ve written a letter to the NBR to ensure proper test whether there is any bacteria in it. If there’s no bacteria the products could be delivered,” Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed told UNB over phone on Tuesday. When his attention was drawn to a news item of an international news agency, Mahbub said he was wrongly quoted in the news. Talking to UNB, Chittagong Customs House Commissioner Md Masud Sadiq said the status of some 30 consignments with around 600 tonnes of powdered milk remained unchanged as it is awaiting duty valuation. Responding to a question, he said they did not get any instruction from the Commerce Ministry to send samples of the Fonterra products to the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for test. The milk has been imported mainly from New Zealand-based Fonterra over the last two months. Earlier, the Commerce Ministry asked customs officials to be cautious in releasing any Fonterra-branded dairy products amid botulism scare that sparked global recalls and restriction on imports by countries, including China, early this month. Botulism is an infection caused by bacteria that can lead to paralysis and death. Fonterra is a big supplier of wholesale dairy products to multinational food and beverage companies. -UNB
