How organic is the organic food sold in Bangladesh?

Nazim Ahmed, a teacher at a non-government school in Dhaka, has been consuming 'organic' food for the last five years.

He believes that this healthy eating habit has greatly benefited him and his family. 

Previously, he suffered from allergies, which have decreased over the past few years, and his father, who is now over 70, had gastrointestinal issues that have also significantly declined.

There has been an uptick in channels such as farmer’s markets, e-commerce and social commerce platforms that claim to sell ‘chemical-free’ or organic food. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

He is also hopeful that his children, who have limited time for physical activity due to educational pressures, will have a lower risk of obesity due to their diet. 

"In short, organic food has been a blessing for me and my entire family," shared Nazim in a recent conversation with The Business Standard. 

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of organic food, these are cultivated without synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, or genetically modified organisms. 

This approach reduces air, soil and water pollution, and strives to optimise the health and productivity of interconnected communities of plants, animals and people.

"It is not quite feasible to produce organic food in Bangladesh due to a number of reasons, with the primary challenge being limited land availability in comparison to the high population density. Even if organic farming is attempted on one plot of land, neighbouring areas may use synthetic fertilisers, which can be carried into organic fields by flood or rainwater runoff."

Dr Md Abdul Alim, Professor of Food Technology and Rural Industries at Bangladesh Agriculture University

While the demand for such food in urban cities of Bangladesh has been increasing, there seem to be some shared characteristics among those who are fond of it.

"Organic food consumers in Bangladesh are predominantly middle to upper-income, well-educated and health-conscious individuals who prioritise the safety and health benefits of organic products," said Dr Md Parves Sultan, Professor, Discipline Lead and Programme Director of the School of Business at Melbourne Institute of Technology. 

To cater to this niche segment of consumers, there has been an uptick in channels such as retail outlets, farmer's markets, specific sections of supermarkets, and e-commerce and social commerce platforms that claim to sell organic food. 

These products often come with a price tag three to four times higher than their non-organic counterparts.

However, a question that often goes unasked is how genuinely organic the food labelled as 'organic' in Bangladesh truly is.

As we explored this issue further, it became apparent that there is no way of identifying genuine items in Bangladesh, as almost all organic food producers lack accreditation. 

It is also not possible to produce 'proper' organic food in the country; the food termed organic can at best be called "comparatively safer."  

The National Organic Agriculture Policy 2016 outlines the strategic direction and priorities for organic agriculture in Bangladesh. 

But according to Dr Shaikh Tanveer Hossain, Director of Policy and Strategy at IFOAM - Organics Asia, the policy hasn't yet been properly implemented in the country. 

There has been an uptick in channels such as farmer’s markets, e-commerce and social commerce platforms that claim to sell ‘chemical-free’ or organic food. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

Hence, despite the necessity for third-party certifications to verify that farms and businesses adhere to national organic standards and use the term "organic" on their labels, this practice is far from common in Bangladesh. 

"People in the country mostly purchase organic food without any certainty about its authenticity," said Dr Hossain. 

When it comes to organic food, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic label is considered the most reliable, which indicates that a food or agricultural product has been produced according to the USDA organic standards.

So far, only Organic Nutrition Limited and Kazi & Kazi Tea Estate Ltd are the two Bangladeshi companies that have their selected products certified as organic. 

Arun Kumar Mandal, Executive Director (Scientific Affairs and Nutrition) of Organic Nutrition Limited, shared that certification for organic food typically involves a rigorous process that can take up to three years to complete. 

During the three-year organic certification process, farms and businesses undergo a transition period where they gradually adopt organic practices, such as eliminating synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, implementing crop rotation, and improving soil health. 

Throughout this time, they must demonstrate their commitment to organic standards through inspections, documentation, and audits by certifying bodies. 

Once the transition period is complete and all requirements are met, the farm or business can obtain official organic certification, ensuring the integrity of organic food production and providing consumers with confidence in the authenticity of organic products.

We also reached out to some other online businesses including Khaas Food, Green Organic Food and Halal Organic Shop that sell so-called organic food and have a large follower base on Facebook, to know about the authenticity of their foods. None of them responded to our queries.  

It is not quite feasible to produce organic food in Bangladesh for a number of reasons, with the primary challenge being limited land availability in comparison to the high population density, believes Dr Md Abdul Alim, Professor of Food Technology and Rural Industries at Bangladesh Agriculture University. 

Even if organic farming is attempted on one plot of land, neighbouring areas may use synthetic fertilisers, which can be carried into organic fields by flood or rainwater runoff. 

Lands previously treated with synthetic inputs also require a transition period of several years before they can be certified organic, which is not possible for most landowners or farmers in our country. 

"So, I believe it is a kind of deception with the consumers when companies try to sell food products at a very high rate claiming they are organic," said Dr Alim. 

Farida Akhter, Executive Director of UBINIG which runs Shashya Prabartana, sells more than a hundred food items, such as local varieties of rice, flour, wheat, lentils, edible oil, beans, peas, dairy products, pickles, honey, nuts, sugar, molasses, spices, meat, poultry and fish, said that "organic farming" is a broad term. Instead, she prefers to call it "biodiversity-based agriculture." 

According to her, there are indeed numerous challenges in ensuring organic farming in Bangladesh. However, several key considerations should be noted: prioritising the needs of farmers, using indigenous seeds, adhering to proper seasonal practices, and ensuring that the food is free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

She also commended the recent efforts to promote organic food, as she believes that even if the food is not 100% organic, at least they are spreading awareness among people and helping them develop healthy eating habits. 

She, however, opposes government-directed standardisation of organic farming, expressing distrust in the country's bureaucracy. She fears that such standardisation could also pave the way for the corporatisation of organic farming.

Delowar Jahan, the pioneer of Prakritik Krishi, also favours the term "natural farming" over "organic farming." He and his peers for the last two decades have been trying to implement ancient farming practices that rely on centuries-old knowledge and do not necessitate the use of toxic chemicals to achieve high yields.

But apparently, the terminology used makes little difference.

Dr Nazim Uddin, Senior Scientist at the Horticulture Research Centre within the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), asserted that owing to the unfavourable perception surrounding organic farming, both government and private enterprises in the country are initiating various programs under alternative names, which ultimately promote organic farming.

According to Nazim, who is also the coordinator of Bangladesh Organic Agriculture Network, about 7,500 farmers in the country are now farming organically. 

"Besides, many bio-materials manufacturing entrepreneurs have also emerged in the country. For instance, there are currently around 5,000 vermicompost producers and 300 producers of high-nutrient and microorganism-rich organic fertilisers in the country," he informed. 

Meanwhile, Md Iqbal Hossain, Senior Nutrition Officer at Chattogram Diabetic General Hospital, emphasised that while many companies are now incorporating the term "organic" into their marketing strategies, consuming organic food all the time is not essential, as it could negatively impact one's immune system.

"Each human body functions through its unique mechanism, and most individuals can tolerate a certain level of pollutants. In fact, exposure to a minimal degree of impure food may even help strengthen their immune system," he said. 

Hossain further explained that people who exclusively consume 100% pure food from childhood might not develop a robust immune system. Consequently, when exposed to any form of dietary deviation later in life, their health could be significantly impacted.

He concluded by saying that food adulteration is a serious problem in Bangladesh, and decisive actions should be taken against all those involved in it.