Staff Reporter : Government ensured all about having sufficient stocks of salt after spreading rumor of shortages and probable crises of the item across the country. Some dishonest traders hiked salt prices across the country including the capital city.
The sudden price hike of salt become talk of the country.
Administration in different districts on Monday conducted mobile courts and arrested, jailed and fined some dishonest traders due to charge abnormal higher rates.
On the other hand, shopkeepers in different areas in the capital on Tuesday are hiked salt prices abnormally. They sold salts Tk 100 to 200 per kg while the real price was Tk 35-40.
“Shopkeeper gave me a half kg packet salt, charging tk 80. When I protested, he replied that after hours you might not get it with this price,” said, Ahmed Ali, a private car driver in Banasree area of the capital.
In the same time, the salt of different brands was sold by Tk 100 per kg in the city’s Gandaria area.
After spreading of huge rumor, people rushed to local shops in almost every area including the capital, to buy salt which triggered price hiked of the daily essential products.
In the face of spreading huge rumors, the government on Tuesday urged all not to get confused with misleading information over salt stock and price.
It said that rumours of price hiked and stock shrunken fast of the items are being spread by an immoral group saying the current salt reserve is much more than the country needs.
‘There’s no shortage of salt. At present, the salt stock in the country is much higher than the demand,’ said Md Mostaque Hassan, chairman of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation.
He said an unholy syndicate is trying to reap benefits by spreading misleading information through online media. ‘The people of the country are requested not to get confused.’
The BSCIC chairman said the salt stock in the country was 6.50 lakh metric tonnes on November 15 and the country saw record salt production in 2018-2019 fiscal year – 12.24 lakh metric tonnes – which was much higher than the target.
Meanwhile, the industries ministry said some 4.5 lakh metric tonnes, out of the total 6.50 lakh tonnes of salt, are with the salt farmers of Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram while there is a stock of 2.45 lakh tonnes in various salt warehouses across the country.
