DHAKA, July 8, 2024 (BSS) - Speakers at a seminar called for raising awareness about the harmful effects of counterfeit products including cosmetics, medicine and cigarette are crucial.

They made the call in the seminar titled "Prevention and Banning of Counterfeit Products," held in Sylhet city on Sunday under the arrangement of Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Abu Ahmed Siddique addressed the seminar as the chief guest with SCCI President Tahmin Ahmed in the chair.

Deputy Director of the Sylhet Division of the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate Md. Fakrul Islam and Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs of BAT Bangladesh Shabab Ahmed Choudhury were present as the special guests.

Divisional Commissioner Abu Ahmed Siddique said in developed countries, the production, sale, purchase and use of fake products are considered crimes.

However, in Bangladesh, buying and using these products is not seen as a crime, leading to a market flooded with fake products of various famous and expensive brands at low prices, he said.

To counter this, government officials and responsible members of society must play a strong role in creating public awareness, he added.

Siddique said while counterfeit products in other countries are typically limited to luxury items like branded clothes and watches, in Bangladesh, even foodstuffs, medicines, baby food, and cosmetics are being counterfeited, posing serious health risks."

In his speech, Md. Fakrul Islam said tempting discounts are often offered on adulterated products.

“Additionally, people show little interest in buying brand products from our country and are frequently deceived by counterfeit foreign products. We must stop chasing low-priced, heavily discounted items," he said.

Shabab Ahmed Choudhury said counterfeit products are spreading like a pandemic.

“Market raids alone are insufficient; we must target the source of these counterfeit products. To effectively combat counterfeiting, efforts must focus on the source. If not addressed at the root, the problem becomes unmanageable," he said.

Assistant Director of the Sylhet District Office of the Consumer Rights Protection Department, Amirul Islam Masud presented a pictorial report on the seminar's subject.

Vice-President of the Sylhet Chamber Ahtasamul Haque Chowdhury, Joint Commissioner of Customs Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Sylhet, Jahangir Alam, and Professor Fazle Elahi Md. Faisal at the Department of Business Administration at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology also spoke.