DUSHANBE, April 15, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Over the first three months of this year, specialists from Tojikstandart (Agency for Standardization, Metrology, Certification and Trade Inspection) have conducted more than 1,392 inspections at markets and stores in the country, the Tojikstandart director Bakhtiyor Shukurov told reporters on April 14.

According to him, more than 4.4 tons of meat products, 3.3 tons of vegetable oil, some 500 kilograms of macaroni foods, 7.6 tons of flour and grains and 10.3 tons of confectionery not meeting state standard have been withdrawn from shelves.

“Tojikstandart today also focuses of the problem of recycling energy-saving light bulbs,” said Shukurov.  “The Ministry of Energy and Industries is currently developing a special program for recycling the energy-saving light bulbs.”

According to him, local enterprises that will be engaged in producing the energy-saving light bulbs must have special workshops for recycling them.

The Tojikstandart director added that inspections of a number of stores across the country had revealed more than 1,000 energy-saving light bulbs that did not have appropriate certificates.  “The bulbs have been withdrawn from shelves and destroyed,” he said.