Staff Reporter :
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Tuesday warned of tough action against those of the businessmen, who will try to create artificial price hike of essential commodities during the coming month of Ramzan.
“Stern action would be taken against the hoarders of the essential commodities instead of selling,” said the Minister after meeting with the businessmen at his secretariat office in city.
The meeting was organised to discuss how to keep the prices of essentials stable during the fasting month.
Commerce Minister said that the prices of essentials would remain stable during Ramzan as the essential commodities like gram, onion and lentil are adequately stocked to meet the increasing demand.
He expressed the hope that the businessmen will extend their cooperation in this regard.
He said the government has stocked 2.65 lakh metric tons of gram against the demand for 60 thousand metric tons.
“As you played a significant role in keeping the market stable in the past, I hope the same thing will happen during the coming Ramzan so that prices of sugar and other essential commodities will remain within the purchasing capacity of commoners,” he told the business representatives.
He said the State-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will sell essential items during Ramzan on 174 open trucks across the country for the convenience of the people.
Of the total trucks, 25 will be assigned in Dhaka, 10 in Chittagong, five each in every divisional headquarters, except Dhaka and Chittagong, he said.
Two trucks will be engaged in every district of the remaining 57, he said adding that the TCB commodities will be sold simultaneously by 3,054 dealers across the country.
“TCB through these trucks will sell at fair prices sugar, soybean oil, lentil, chick peas and dates, whose demand increases in Ramzan,” he said.
He said the country’s total demand for edible oil is around 15 lakh metric tonnes per year.
“We have stocked a total of 19.19 lakh metric tonnes edible oil. So that the price of edible oil will remain stable during Ramzan as there will be no shortage of the oil,” he said.
