Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association (BDFA) on Sunday called on the government to increase import duty on bulk field milk in the proposed national budget for fiscal year 2020-21 for the protection of the domestic industry.
“The bulk field milk, which is mixed with vegetable fat and imported in HS code, is mainly responsible for the destruction of the country's dairy industry. We would like to say with sadness that the import duty on this milk has not been increased,” the BDFA said in a post-budget reaction at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital.
The bulk field milk is commonly available and being imported in polypacks a few days before expiry date and sold in various places including shops, hotels, bakeries and restaurants, which is also a serious threat to the public health, according to the association that is comprised of dairy and meat farm owners.
There is a strong demand to protect the domestic dairy industry by increasing the import duty on this milk by 100 per cent and imposing anti-dumping duty, they insisted.
BDFA General Secretary Mohammad Shah Emran and Vice President Ali Azam Rahman Shibli, among others, were present during the press conference.