Substandard vermicelli production rises ahead of Eid in Nilphamari

The production of substandard vermicelli (laccha) has increased in several upazilas of Nilphamari ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr as many seasonal factories operate in unhygienic conditions to meet rising demand.
Several temporary vermicelli factories have been set up at the union level in Saidpur, Domar, Dimla, Jaldhaka and Sadar upazilas of the district.
During visits to some of these factories, the Daily Sun correspondent found workers producing laccha in unhygienic environments without wearing gloves, while the products were being fried in low-quality pump oil.
Advocate Asaduzzaman Khan Rino, general secretary of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum’s Nilphamari unit, alleged that some traders are freely selling vermicelli produced in unclean conditions without BSTI approval ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. He also claimed that nearly a hundred bakeries and small factories in the district are producing food items such as bread, biscuits and cakes, as well as children’s food products like artificial litchi drinks, mango juice and lassi, by mixing chemicals and using low-quality raw materials in unhygienic environments.
Local administration officials said many factory owners have already been fined by mobile courts for producing vermicelli in unhygienic conditions and operating without approval from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).
“We have fined several laccha manufacturing factory owners in different parts of the district over the past few days for producing vermicelli in unhygienic environments. Mobile court drives will continue throughout the holy month of Ramadan,” said an administration official, requesting anonymity.