US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena on Friday said adequate cold storage facilities would help farmers keep their produce fresh and safe, eliminating use of formalin and other poisons. Mozena made the remarks while inaugurating a cold chain network facility funded by USAID in the city.
Experts opine that the most effective way of preserving and keeping food items fresh after harvest is to store those in suitable temperatures. China can be a role model in this regard as she has built hundreds of cold storage facilities in 2010 at rural marketplaces where farmers can keep their produce. There is a list of pesticides, food additives, colour additives, flavours and deleterious substances, which are banned for use in food.
Multiple studies show serious infrastructure and logistic problems, lack of cold storage and transport facilities, premature harvest, profit mongering, and the absence of a licensing and monitoring authority for commercial farming are behind the unbridled food contamination in Bangladesh. A study said that a 1,000-cubic metre cold storage, which can store about 250 tonnes of fruits and vegetables, could be built for Tk 2.5 crore. A similar size storage facility for fish would cost about Tk 3.5 crore.
When Brazil, the Philippines and the Caribbean countries have been supplying banana, a highly perishable fruit, to the other corners of the world, Bangladesh cannot do so even within its small boundaries without using toxic preservatives. Lack of a dependable storage and refrigeration infrastructure is the main reason in this regard. Conversely, it has made way to excessive use of formalin to keep food items durable, though in a contaminated way.
Though food adulteration and contamination pose a serious threat to public health, but these occur not only due to the need to maximize profits all the time but also due to a chronic shortage of modern food reservation systems and cold storages. The farmers usually use too many pesticides, fungicides and calcium carbide at different stages of production and several preservative chemicals also added to make the vegetables, fruits, fish and meat in the supply chain look fresh. If the government set up cold storages and enable refrigerated vans to carry perishable food, uses of dangerous chemicals to preserve food will be eliminated.
The commercial banks have plenty of idle money due to a lack of investment and thus they can invest in this sector. The government under public-private partnership should develop ventures of chain cold storages with the help of banks to ensure safe food supply to every corner of the country.
