Harmful ‘aflatoxin’ detected in 135 tonnes of Indian rice: BRRI

A three-member BRRI team collected samples from rice stacks at the Halishahar and Dewanhat Central Storage Depots (CSDs) in Chattogram on 17 August. Tests detected the toxin in samples from Halishahar and a government warehouse in Dhaka.

Following the findings, the Directorate General of Food suspended distribution of the entire 9,500-tonne consignment accepted from the shipment.

Mahmud Hasan, manager of Halishahar CSD, told this newspaper that food officials had tested rice from the lot twice and instructed the depot to stop distribution. However, the depot had yet to receive the test results.

Rejwan Sakib, controller of the Movement and Storage Division under the Chattogram food department, also confirmed that distribution had been halted.

Initial tests cleared consignment

The rice was supplied by Singapore-based Agrocorp International under a 50,000-tonne import contract awarded through an international open tender at $353.11 per tonne.

The final shipment, weighing around 10,878 tonnes, arrived at Chattogram Port on 21 July aboard MV HT Pioneer. Samples were collected the following day in the presence of food officials and sent for laboratory testing.

The initial report declared the rice fit for human consumption, allowing authorities to clear the consignment for unloading on 24 and 25 July. The rice was subsequently distributed among government warehouses in Dhaka, Chattogram and Gazipur.

However, warehouse officials later raised concerns over the quality of part of the shipment, describing some rice as extremely poor and nearly unfit for consumption. Authorities returned nearly 1,378 tonnes to the ship from the port over low quality and accepted the remaining 9,500 tonnes.

The food directorate then arranged further testing, with Director General M Jashim Uddin Khan ordering the suspension of distribution pending further examination.

Supplier disputes findings

Agrocorp International has disputed the aflatoxin findings, saying joint samples collected by Bangladeshi food officials and the supplier were tested at a laboratory in India and found to comply with contractual specifications.

In an email to TBS, the company said it had also been informed that sealed joint samples tested at BRRI showed no aflatoxin. It referred to pages five and six of an attached SGS report in support of its position.

The supplier said it followed standard operating procedures to maintain quality and had received no complaints before the distribution was halted.

Ali Akber, managing director of Seven Seas Shipping Line, the supplier’s shipping agent, alleged that a vested group was tarnishing the reputation of an internationally recognised supplier.

“If this continues, no international supplier will show interest in supplying food grains to Bangladesh, which will put the country in trouble,” he told this correspondent.

The conflicting findings have raised questions about the sampling and testing process, including whether the initial samples adequately represented the shipment.

Authorities have yet to disclose the precise toxin concentrations, clarify what happened to the affected rice, or explain whether they will conduct further testing at other warehouses.

Director General M Jashim Uddin Khan could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.