Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday directed the cabinet to ramp up monitoring of the market to ensure fair prices for onions across the country.
The price of onions had skyrocketed in Bangladesh after India announced a ban on its onion exports until March 2024.
Director General of the Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection AHM Shafiquzzaman on Monday said the onion market is expected to stabilize within the next week.
“Newly harvested onions have already started coming into the market. Onion hoarders will be brought under the law and action will be taken against them. Some hoarders behind the increase in onion prices have already been identified and the process is underway to identify the rest of the hoarders,” he said while speaking at a function in Dhaka.
The DG said efforts are being made to find out how the onions arranged in layers in Khatunganj and Shyambazar disappeared and who has been hiding the onions.
He said Tk11,00,000 in fines have already been imposed after conducting drives in 54 districts of the country.
“It has been possible to control the volatility in the meat and potato markets, and the government is working to stabilise the onion market now,” he said.
“Our campaign to protect consumer rights will continue,” the DG added.
Authorities force onion sales at fair price in Barisal, Joypurhat
Traders in Barisal and Joypurhat dropped their onion prices significantly after mobile courts conducted drives and began imposing fines.
In Barisal, a mobile court of the Barisal district administration conducted a raid on Piyaj Patty and the surrounding areas of Port Road in Barisal city on Monday afternoon, forcing the sale of onions at a fair retail price of Tk105 per kg.
Executive Magistrate Kamrunnahar Tamanna said that the traders were selling onions bought at a wholesale price of Tk95 at a retail price of Tk180. Later, without fines being imposed, they were forced to sell their onions at the fair price of Tk105 per kg.
Before the drive, onions were being sold at prices ranging from Tk180 to Tk220 in different markets of Barisal city.
Furthermore, 11 onion traders were fined a total of Tk35,000 in Gournadi upazila under Barisal district for selling onions at a high price and not having a price list. Eight businessmen were fined a total of Tk27,000 in a raid led by Apurba Adhikari, deputy director of the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate, while three onion traders in Mahilara union of Gournadi upazila were fined a total of Tk8,000 by a mobile court led by the assistant commissioner (land) of the upazila.
In Joypurhat, traders dropped the prices of onions by Tk100 after news of a raid spread in a kitchen market.
Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Mizanur Rahman conducted a mobile court in the city's Natunhat kitchen market in a bid to control the prices of the kitchen essentials. At that time, sensing the presence of the magistrate, the price of onion was reduced by Tk100 per kg.
The traders had been selling onions at Tk200 to Tk220 per kg before the drive. Once the price was reduced to Tk120 per kg, a crowd began to gather near the shops.
An onion trader was fined Tk1,000 during the drive.
New harvest in Faridpur
In Faridpur, one of the biggest onion producers in Bangladesh, markets witnessed a drop in prices with the arrival of new harvests.
At various markets in Faridpur town and the surrounding areas, the new onion crop was priced between Tk120 and Tk130 per kg, compared to Tk160 to Tk170 for the older stock.
Retailers noted a drop of Tk30 to Tk40 per kg for new onions and Tk20 to Tk30 for old ones. Just days earlier, new onions were selling at Tk145 to Tk150 per kg, while the older stock fetched around Tk200 per kg.
Anowar Hossain, an official at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Faridpur Sadar upazila, explained that onion harvesting was initially delayed due to waterlogging caused by Cyclone Michaung. However, farmers have now partially resumed harvesting as the water recedes.
Our correspondent Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal contributed to this report
