Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said that commodity price control will be given priority in the election manifesto of the ruling Awami League (AL) in the upcoming national elections.
He said this while responding to questions from journalists at a program organized by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and Debate for Democracy in the capital on Saturday.
The commerce minister said: “Awami League does politics for the welfare of the people of the country. The government has continued its efforts to keep commodity prices at a tolerable level. Cent percent success may not be possible to achieve keeping in mind the global context. But we have success compared to many countries of the world. Considering the low-income people, the government is conducting the sale of essential items at low prices through various programs including TCB on the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. For this, the government is subsidizing thousands of crores of taka.”
He said that the prices of various products have increased abnormally in different countries of the world, which has also affected Bangladesh. As a result the people are bearing the brunt, he said.
In response to the question whether meat will be imported into the country, the commerce minister said: "The government has no plan to import meat considering the interests of local farmers."
He also said: “Half of the sacrificial animals were being imported from India earlier. But at present, not a single cow is imported, rather there is a surplus. Many new entrepreneurs are emerging in the market.”
Tipu Munshi said the government had fixed egg prices but still the prices did not come down. Then the government allowed import of eggs and it worked. The same case happened for potatoes. This means that the country has enough stock of the product. But some unscrupulous traders are not marketing these items because of greed, he added.
There is a shortfall of about 7-8 lakh metric tons of onions in the country and to fill up the gap Bangladesh imports onion from India. The Ministry of Commerce wrote a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture asking for permission to import onions, but the permission was not given considering the stakes of the farmers. Later when imports were allowed, India imposed a 40% tariff on exports. A few days later, India again exported onions at eight hundred dollars per metric ton. As a result, the government was unable to maintain the fixed price, he said.
The commerce minister said that the price of sugar did not come down despite the reduction in the import duty. This is because of the dollar rate, he added. Neither the government nor the syndicate is stronger than the people. Consumers should be aware of their rights and protest whenever needed. No power can survive if the common people are united.
