State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu said on Sunday that the government will fix the prices of rice based on variety and season-based production costs in Pohela Boishakh.
"Already, a framework fixing prices and production costs of rice, including at the miller level, wholesale level, and retail level, has been formulated, and the Food, Agriculture, and Commerce Ministries will inform it after finalizing the prices at a meeting," he said.
The minister came up with the information while talking to reporters after attending a task force meeting on the market situation and price of daily essentials at the Secretariat.
Claiming that the government can keep the price of daily essentials at a tolerable level, the state minister for commerce said: “We think that we will be able to keep it at a tolerable level till Eid-ul-Fitr. Though there are some challenges, and you are all aware of them, In that case, transportation is a big challenge, and the government is working on it.”
Noting that there is plenty of sugar supply, the minister said the government has no interest in importing sugar.
Although the price of rice in the international market has increased by 25% in the last year, it has not increased more than 4% in our local market, while the price of unrefined oil or palm oil has increased to 13% from the existing 11%, he said.
