Bangladesh lacks facilities for testing energy drinks, says industries minister

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu has said Bangladesh lacks facilities to control quality of ‘energy drinks produced locally’.

His statement came in reply to a question by MP Abdul Latif in Parliament on Tuesday.

The minister said Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) had not yet set any standards for energy drinks.

The items are not included in the 155 products for which BSTI certifications are mandatory before they find their way into the market.

Amu said energy drinks did not fall under soft drink category.

BSTI requested the Department of Narcotics Control to take actions over marketing of the items as they contained high percentage of caffeine and opium, he added.

The ruling party MP alleged that the so-called energy drinks were selling on fake BSTI licences and spreading diseases.

To another question by Latif, the minister said the government would establish a ‘chemical village’ in Keraniganj to shift the chemical warehouses from populous old Dhaka.

The government was undertaking a Tk 4.15 billion project for this, he added.

Answering a query of Mamunur Rashid, Amu said Jamuna Fertiliser Factory at Jamalpur had been overhauled seven times since 1991 at a cost of Tk 1.08 billion.

To a question of AKM Mayeedul Islam, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid said 65 percent of the locally produced national gas was used for power generation.

Replying to a query of AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said there were 146 national dailies in the country.

Of them, Bangladesh Protidin tops the list of the highest circulated newspapers.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury presided over the Wednesday session.