About 1,500 tonnes of fish remain stranded in the Chittagong port yard since January 1, after the food safety authorities made it mandatory for all imported fish to go through certain tests to detect the presence of heavy metals in them.
The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) made the decision after it found high level of harmful substances in some previously imported Chandana Hilsa fish.
The test was done at the Atomic Energy Centre in the capital in the first week of December. Results show the fish had 1.52mg of lead and 0.69mg of cadmium per kilogram, way beyond the permissible limits of 0.3mg and 0.25mg a kilogram.
The samples were collected from markets in Dhaka, but it was not clear when exactly the fish was imported.
The BFSA then asked the relevant authorities to ensure testing of all imported fish at the Atomic Energy Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Dhaka or Fish Quality Lab in Savar to detect the levels of lead, chromium, cadmium and mercury, said Md Bayezid Hossain, commissioner of Chittagong Customs House.
Following the directive, eight importers of the fish consignments worth about Tk 15 crore are not taking the delivery, port officials said.
“They fear that there might high level of hazardous metals in the fish, for which they may face legal action,” said one official.
The fish are now being stored in refrigerated containers in the port yard.
On January 6, the fish importers wrote to the BFSA, saying it would be a great hassle for them if the test was done in Dhaka because it would take time. They also sent a letter to the commissioner of Chittagong customs the next day.
Later on January 11, the authorities decided to conduct the test in the quality control lab of the Department of Fisheries (DoF) in Chittagong. But the test could not be done as the importers are not showing up to take the delivery.
Mohammad Shahjahan Ali, quality control lab in-charge of DoF Chittagong zone, said they could detect the presence of all four metals -- lead, chromium, mercury and cadmium -- within a week, which is less time consuming compared to the tests done in Dhaka.
Md Safar Ali, proprietor of Anika Enterprise, a clearing and forwarding agent, said the sudden decision by the authorities created a big problem for the importers.
“One importer brought 200 tonnes of fish through me, but I am not taking the delivery. I hope that the authorities will reconsider their decision,” he added.
Under the rules, importers have to collect their consignments within 30 days of their arrival.
On expiry of this timeframe, the port authorities will write to the importers to receive their goods within the next 15 days. In case they fail to do so, the port authorities will run the mandatory test on the fish on their own. If the test result is negative, the fish will likely be sold in auction, port sources said.
But the fish will be destroyed if hazardous metals beyond permissible limits are found. In that case, the importers will face fine or even cancellation of their licences, if they are found to be involved in adding harmful preservatives in the fish, they added.
On Monday, the food safety authorities held a meeting with the importers and other relevant authorities to find a solution, said Md Mahbub Kabir, a member of the BFSA.
“We will carry out the testing for three months. If we get satisfactory results, the rules may be relaxed. Since testing takes time, importers can take delivery of the fish, leaving some samples to the test. But they will not be able to sell the fish until the testing is completed,” he said.
This is the first time that the food safety authorities have decided to test fish for detecting presence of heavy metals. In the past, tests were done to detect substance such as formalin.
Asked, how they will ensure that the fish are not sold in the market, Mahbub said their officials would monitor the market.
The DFSA has also assigned its own officials to collect samples from the port following allegations that importers and their agents alter the samples on way to the labs.
It was not clear from where the stranded fish consignments came, but about 90 percent of Bangladesh's fish imports come from Myanmar, the Maldives and Oman. Nearly half of the total import volume comes from Oman, according to port sources.
In the first five months of the current fiscal year, 16,032 tonnes of fish worth Tk 66.36 crore have been imported. For the last four years, the average annual fish imports through Chittagong port stood at 48,000 tonnes, port officials said.
The food safety watchdog, which began its journey in February 2015, said it is urgent to take quick measures to ensure safe food to attain the United Nations-set Sustainable Development Goals.
Laboratory tests are mandatory for more than 500 types of goods, including chemicals, food items, fruits, seeds, textile goods and scrap.
