Bangladesh minister challenges critics of ‘bad wheat’ bought from Brazil

The food minister, taking the flak for importing ‘bad wheat’ from Brazil, says he does not doubt the quality of the grains.

Qamrul Islam told his critics who have been demanding his resignation to examine the imported grains in any laboratory.  

Earlier, samples were sent to the Directorate General of Food and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research as soon as the media ran reports on the ‘substandard’ wheat. 

The minister presented reporters with two separate reports at the Secretariat on Sunday, asserting their good quality.    

“The tests prove that the parameters we used to receive wheat from Brazil four months ago are still intact.” 

“The wheat is perfectly fine. The tests done by the Directorate General of Food and science laboratory (Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) have made it clear. 
 
“I’m satisfied with the standards.” 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to media reports, was dissatisfied with the matter after police and Border Guard Bangladesh refused to take the wheat from Brazil. 

“Someone sent over very bad samples of the wheat to the prime minister,’ Islam recently told Parliament. “She naturally reacted with anger.”

Several political parties and organisations have demanded punishment for those involved in the import of the wheat and resignation of the food minister.

Islam told reporters: “If the TIB, Sujon, journalists, political leaders and Left parties have still doubts (about the quality after seeing the test reports), I’m challenging them.

“They can collect samples of the wheat from any warehouse and have them examined at any laboratory. I’ll cooperate with them.”

He claimed that there was no similarity between the wheat whose photos had been published in the media and those in the warehouses of the Directorate General of Food.

The minister urged all not to confuse people ‘doing politics and lying on food’.

He had earlier attributed the crisis in Ukraine to the decision to import wheat from Brazil.

The government had signed an agreement with Ukraine in its last tenure to import 500,000 tonnes of wheat, he said.

He had taken steps to import 250,000 tonnes from Ukraine again after being the food minister.

Islam said: “Ukraine’s relation with Russia started to worsen after we had finalised the price and standard in several meetings. Ukraine suddenly stopped communication then.”

Bangladesh called for a global tender to procure wheat when the reserve abruptly dropped to 68,000 tonnes.

According to the minister, two Brazilian firms had made bid to supply the wheat.

“We didn’t have the experience of buying this wheat. But the samples they provided were found worth consumption during tests by Science laboratory and another organisation,” he said.

Islam said Bangladesh would not import wheat from Brazil again