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Speakers at a discussion in the city Monday underscored the need for banning import and marketing of powered milk, being used as an alternative to mothers' milk, in the greater interest of the nation, reports BSS.
They said powdered milk worth about Tk 3.6 billion was imported during the last fiscal year.
They called for raising awareness in favour of breast-feeding to save huge amount of foreign currency being spent to import the powdered milk and protect the new born babies.
Bangladesh Breast-feeding Foundation (BBF) organised the discussion at a city hotel in observance of the World Breast Feeding Week. BBF Secretary Dr S K Roy chaired the function.
The discussants from NGOs, media and health services, said breast feeding helps 13 per cent of children to avert risks of death before their fifth birth day. They said breast feeding is best.
"Moreover, colostrum, which creates antibodies, is more than enough to meet the nutritional need of a newborn baby for the first three days," they observed. They also laid emphasis on the need to involve religious leaders in awareness campaign about the benefits of breast feeding and establishing more dairy firms in the country.
Director of National Nutritional Project Israfil Khondaker, BBF chairperson M Q K Talukder and journalist Sarwar Zahan, among others, also spoke at the discussion.
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