Huge consignments of imported edible oil, pulses, sugar and other items have been piling up at the Kolkata port for over a month.
The accumulation has been caused by the refusal of the Customs authorities to clear the consignments as test reports for these items from the Central Food Laboratory here are not available. As a result, an estimated 80,000 tonnes of edible oil such as palm oil and soybeen oil and 15,000 tonnes of pulses such as toor whole, urad and also sugar and yellow peas are lying uncleared at both the Kolkata Dock System and Haldia dock, it is learnt.
The port authorities confirm that the consignments have remained uncleared for a long time, expressing concern that it would cause space problem within the docks.
The problem of accumulation has arisen because of the change in the organisational set up of the Central Food Laboratory which used to be under the Ministry of Health. Now it is under a new body Food Safety Standard Authority of India, New Delhi. This has created resentment among those employed in CFL. The unions are opposed to the transfer. “It is a transition period in CFL and there are lots of problems here”, says a spokesperson of CFL.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety Standard Authority has appointed two agencies, both Kolkata-based, namely, Export Inspection Agency and Central Public Health and Drugs Laboratory to undertake the testing of the food items. But neither of them, it is learnt, is in a position to do the job.
The cumulative effect of all this: papers are gathering dust at CFL, consignments are piling at the docks and edible oil plants dependent on imported oil are pulling down shutters.
Source : Business Line