Bangladesh
Food Storage The maximum penalty for hoarding excess food is life imprisonment
Dhaka, June 22: Stocking more than the prescribed amount of foodstuff will be punishable. In this case, a draft of a new law has been taken up in the National Parliament with the provision of life imprisonment or a maximum of 14 years rigorous imprisonment and fine. Some of the offenses under the proposed law will also be tried in mobile courts.
On Thursday, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumdar introduced the Food Production, Storage, Transfer, Transport, Supply, Distribution and Marketing (Prevention of Harmful Activities) Bill-2023 in the National Parliament. Later, the bill was sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food Ministry to examine and report within 5 days. The new law is being made by repealing the Food (Special Court) Act of 1956 and the Food Grains Supply (Prevention of Prejudicial Activity) Ordinance of 1979.
It is said in the bill that food means any type of grain food like rice, paddy, wheat, flour, corn etc. According to the bill, it will be an offense if a person stocks foodstuff in excess of the amount prescribed by the government or disobeys any instructions of the government regarding stocking. It is punishable with imprisonment for life or a maximum of 14 years with rigorous imprisonment and fine. But if the person accused of such offense can prove that he hoarded without any motive of financial or other gain then he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months and with fine. This offense will be non-bailable.
The bill states that any person who polishes old foodstuff or mixes it with any other foodstuff or collects foodstuff kept in government warehouse lawfully or illegally while procuring foodstuff by the government, imported foodstuff instead of foodstuff produced in the country, or old or distributed seal of government warehouse or distributed It shall be an offense to supply sacks or bags of marked foodstuff or partially or wholly altering the quantity or quality of the foodstuff or supplying it to government warehouses for any other illegitimate purpose. The punishment will be imprisonment for a maximum of 2 years or a fine of up to 10 lakh taka or both.
