Industries minister Amir Hossain Amu on Wednesday said the government would not give any permission to import salt this year. ‘The government has decided not allow salt import to ensure its better price for farmers,’ he said while speaking at a seminar titled ‘ensuring iodised salt for all’ at a city hotel. BSCIC and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition organised the seminar where state minister for women and children affairs Meher Afroze Chumki was present as special guest.
Emphasising the needed for creating
skilled manpower to compete in this globalised world, Amu said, ‘The government is putting emphasis on the creating a creative and brilliant generation to reach the desired knowledge-based industrialisation.’
He also said the government would bring all families of the country under the net of iodised edible salt apart from ensuring mixing iodine in salt by 2016.
The industries minister urged the private sector to come up for supplementing the government efforts in this regard which is a big challenge for the nation.
This year a record amount of 17.53 tonnes of salt was produced in the country against the annual demand for 15.80 tonnes. The salt production in 2012-13 was 16.34 tonnes.
Currently, iodine is mixed in 58 per cent of salt produced in the country while 84 per cent families of the country are using iodised salt.
Director of ‘iodised salt for all project’ of BSCIC Abu Taher Khan delivered the welcome speech at the seminar, held with BSCIC chairman Shyam Sundar Sikder in the chair.
ICDDR,B director Tahmid Ahmed and GAIN manager Rizwan Yousuf Ali presented separate papers at the seminar.
Industries ministry additional secretary M Farhad Uddin, BSCIC director Patit Paban Baidya and GAIN Bangladesh country manager Basanta Kumar Kar took part in the discussion.
-With New Age input
