Rice imported from Bangladesh contains ARSENIC
BY ZAHRAH IMTIAZ-September 26, 2014
As rice prices go sky high due to a shortage, studies reveal that rice imported from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh may contain high concentrations of Arsenic.
Emeritus Prof. Upali Samarajeewa, speaking at the Conference on 'Role of Agriculture in Food Sovereignty and Poverty Eradication' on Wednesday (24) said, Bangladeshi rice had one of the highest concentrations of Arsenic.
The international expert on food analysis and food safety working for UNIDO however, said the government had no mechanism in place to ensure that imported rice was safe for human consumption, a fact confirmed by State owned Industrial Technology Institute (ITI),
a government run testing facility. However, ITI has the necessary testing apparatus to conduct such test for arsenic.
World Health Organization (WHO) prescribes 200µg/kg., to be the acceptable level of arsenic in rice. Bangladeshi rice however has been recorded to contain an average 340 µg/kg of arsenic. Meanwhile, rice in Sri Lanka recorded arsenic levels to be between 34-92µg/kg.
"In Bangladesh skin lesions are quite common and that is a symptom of arsenic in the body. That country has the dubious distinction of having issues of arsenic in its rice. Thus, I do not understand why the government would import rice from such a country", said Samarajeewa.
He asked whether the government would test and monitor the rice imports for arsenic. "How do we know that the rice we import is safe?" he questioned.
On 18 September, the Dhaka Tribune (http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/sep/18/50000-tonnes-rice-exports-sri-lanka) published an article saying that the Bangladeshi Government would export 50,000 tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka. The Bangladeshi Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs, chaired by Finance Minister A. M. A. Muhith has approved of the deal.
According to the article, the minister had said, "The country now has 1.1 Mn tonnes of rice in stock and Sri Lanka is a friendly country. We are treating the export as a test case."
This would be the largest quantity of rice exported from Bangladesh, according to the article. The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh had made the request through the Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Ministry. When Ceylon Today contacted officers of the Cooperatives and Internal Trade Ministry over the possible import of rice from Bangladesh, the report was denied. The ministry source said the government had not imported rice from Bangladesh and that only private importers imported rice from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
Though the Government denied reports of importing rice from Bangladesh, the question of who monitors the private importers remains unanswered. ITI Technical Services Division Additional Director A. S. Pannila speaking to Ceylon Today said they would only test rice samples if only a request was made. He added that no such request had been made so far.
BY ZAHRAH IMTIAZ-September 26, 2014
As rice prices go sky high due to a shortage, studies reveal that rice imported from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh may contain high concentrations of Arsenic.
Emeritus Prof. Upali Samarajeewa, speaking at the Conference on 'Role of Agriculture in Food Sovereignty and Poverty Eradication' on Wednesday (24) said, Bangladeshi rice had one of the highest concentrations of Arsenic.
The international expert on food analysis and food safety working for UNIDO however, said the government had no mechanism in place to ensure that imported rice was safe for human consumption, a fact confirmed by State owned Industrial Technology Institute (ITI),
a government run testing facility. However, ITI has the necessary testing apparatus to conduct such test for arsenic.
World Health Organization (WHO) prescribes 200µg/kg., to be the acceptable level of arsenic in rice. Bangladeshi rice however has been recorded to contain an average 340 µg/kg of arsenic. Meanwhile, rice in Sri Lanka recorded arsenic levels to be between 34-92µg/kg.
"In Bangladesh skin lesions are quite common and that is a symptom of arsenic in the body. That country has the dubious distinction of having issues of arsenic in its rice. Thus, I do not understand why the government would import rice from such a country", said Samarajeewa.
He asked whether the government would test and monitor the rice imports for arsenic. "How do we know that the rice we import is safe?" he questioned.
On 18 September, the Dhaka Tribune (http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/sep/18/50000-tonnes-rice-exports-sri-lanka) published an article saying that the Bangladeshi Government would export 50,000 tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka. The Bangladeshi Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs, chaired by Finance Minister A. M. A. Muhith has approved of the deal.
According to the article, the minister had said, "The country now has 1.1 Mn tonnes of rice in stock and Sri Lanka is a friendly country. We are treating the export as a test case."
This would be the largest quantity of rice exported from Bangladesh, according to the article. The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh had made the request through the Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Ministry. When Ceylon Today contacted officers of the Cooperatives and Internal Trade Ministry over the possible import of rice from Bangladesh, the report was denied. The ministry source said the government had not imported rice from Bangladesh and that only private importers imported rice from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
Though the Government denied reports of importing rice from Bangladesh, the question of who monitors the private importers remains unanswered. ITI Technical Services Division Additional Director A. S. Pannila speaking to Ceylon Today said they would only test rice samples if only a request was made. He added that no such request had been made so far.
