Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission has made seven recommendations to keep the prices of daily commodities stable, including fixing the price of packaged sugar and pulses.
The government has set a maximum price of Tk95 for loose sugar and Tk190 for pulses, but local marketing companies sell the staples at a higher price after packaging, said the commission in a report on supply and market prices of refined sugar, pulses, and onions, on Friday (19 August).
The Commission has recommended that the price of packaged sugar and pulses be set in line with the cost of production.
It also observed that the annual and monthly rate of increase in the price of sugar in the local market is much higher compared to the global market.
Sugar prices increased 11.25% month-on-month and 25.26% year-on-year, according to the report.
While the price of pulses is almost the same as in the previous month, the price of the staple has increased 40% in a year, read the report.
However, the commission considered the adjustment of onion prices between local and global markets to be reasonable.
The commission also suggested necessary steps be taken to implement the Essential Commodities Distribution and Distributor Recruitment Order 2011 when marketing sugar, pulses, and onions.
Associations dealing in essential goods can be sent letters asking them to inform the Essential Commodity Price Monitoring Cells and commerce ministry when adjusting prices of these daily essentials, the commission added..
It said the commerce ministry can direct district and upazila level Essential Commodity Price Monitoring Cells and the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP), to take action for charging more than government set prices.
The commission also proposed for determining the maximum profit limit for the supply chain in marketing.
The ministry can ask all customs stations to take necessary steps to ensure the utmost priority is given to releasing imported essentials items.
Also, the ministry can request the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to control transport cost of essential items locally.
