Photo : Collected
State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu said on Sunday the government would set the prices of rice based on variety and season-based production cost during Pahela Baishakh (April 14).
“A framework fixing the prices and production cost of rice, including at the miller, wholesale, and retail levels, has been formulated already. The food, agriculture, and commerce ministries will reveal it after finalising the prices at a meeting," he said.
Titu disclosed the information while talking to reporters after attending a task force meeting on the market situation and price of daily essentials at the secretariat.
He also said the first consignment of Indian onion was expected to arrive by Sunday night and would be sold to consumers at Tk 40 per kg at the retail level,.
"A total of 1,650 metric tonnes out of 50,000 metric tonnes of onion will be imported via train in the first consignment. The sales of the imported onion will start within two days through the appointed dealers in Dhaka and Chattogram," Titu said.
Claiming that the government is able to keep the prices of daily essentials at tolerable levels, the state minister said, “We think we will be able to keep that at tolerable levels till Eid-ul-Fitr. Though there are some challenges and you all are aware of it. In that case, transportation is a big challenge and the government is working on it.”
Noting that there is plenty of sugar supply, he said the government has no interest in importing it.
Although the prices of rice in the international market increased by 25 per cent in the last one year, it did not increase by more than 4 per cent in the local market while the prices of unrefined oil (palm oil) rose to 13 per cent from the existing 11 per cent, added Titu.
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