The government will begin selling potatoes, eggs, onions and vegetables through the Open Market Sale (OMS) system in Dhaka starting Tuesday, aiming to provide relief to fixed-income groups, according to Agriculture Ministry Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian.
This is the first time perishable items will be sold at various points across the city as part of a pilot project, with some vegetables available at subsidized prices.
The launch event will take place tomorrow at 11am in front of the Directorate General of Food Office on Abdul Ghani Road.
Expected attendees include Agriculture Ministry Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Commerce Ministry Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Commerce Secretary Md Selim Uddin, and Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian.
The prices for the items are set as follows: potatoes at Tk30 per kilogram, eggs at Tk130 per dozen and onions at Tk70 per kilogram, with green vegetables offered at 20-30% below the market rate.
The ministry will source these items directly from farmers and sell them through OMS at 20 locations in Dhaka over the next two weeks.
Depending on the pilot project’s success, the number of sales points and duration may be extended.
The initiative is backed by the Department of Agricultural Marketing, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC).
This decision was made during a special meeting between the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, and other advisers.
