BDR opens 80 more retail outlets in city today
Monday, 3 September 2007
FE Report
The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) starts today (Monday) operations of 80 more fair price retail outlets in the city aiming to increase supply of essentials ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
This was disclosed by the BDR at a press conference on Sunday.
The number of such outlets will rise to 100, Colonel Md Mojibul Hoque, sector commander of the BDR said.
He said wholesale markets will be set up by the next one week in the city's Uttara, Gabtali and Jatrabari areas.
The BDR has already completed constructions and other procedures for establishment of the three wholesale markets.
"The Uttara wholesale market will start operation within a week and the other two in ten-twelve days," Hoque said.
He said the wholesale markets are the new ventures of the BDR through which essential items will be supplied to the retailers.
Hoque, who is also the coordinator of the BDR-run Trade, Commerce and Monitoring Cell, stated that 50 such retail outlets would also be run by Ansar in the city.
Apart from this, private companies will likely to operate 12 to 14 similar shops during the month of Ramadan to rein in the prices of essential commodities.
The BDR, however, has fixed the retail prices of coarse rice at Tk 19 per kilogram (kg) at the outlets.
The prices have been set for Atta at Tk 29 per kg, lentils of different varities between Tk 54 and Tk 63, chickpeas at Tk 55, onion at Tk 25, garlic at Tk 42, ginger at Tk 38, powder turmeric at Tk 72, potato at Tk 18 and salt at Tk 10.
The price of per litre soybean oil has been fixed at Tk 73.
The BDR said fresh vegetables, meat and fish will be available at the outlets during the Ramadan.
The prices at the BDR wholesale markets will be fixed at one or two taka less compared with those at its retail shops, Hoque said.
The BDR sector commander said it has procured a large quantity of essential commodities mainly to rein in prices of essentials during the holy month of Ramadan.
He said that the BDR has ready stocks of 20,000 tonnes of rice, 5000 tonnes of soybean oil and same quantity of red lentils, and 3000 tonnes of chickpeas for sale during the Ramadan.
The BDR sector commander made it clear that the current marketing drive of his organisation was not aimed at making profit.
He said there is a necessity for taking short, medium and long term strategies for combating the prices of essential commodities in the kitchen markets.
Meanwhile, another FE report adds: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) approved Sunday import of 200,000 tonnes of rice and almost the same quantity of wheat through the Rifles Enterprises, the commercial entity of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), to help boost supply and check price spiral of the commodities in the market.
Sources said the BDR earlier sought more than Tk 10.0 billion after it was given the responsibility of distribution of various food items against the backdrop of steep price-rise of the food items.
They said the caretaker government has found it suitable to utilise the BDR channel to import the foodstuffs and market them locally.
The import of the food items by the BDR will help the government avert a lengthy official process under the public procurement regulations like mandatory requirements of performance guarantee, tender procedures and maintaining the timeframe, said a MoF official.
Decision on import of some 450,000 tonnes of rice and 350,000 tonnes of wheat was taken by the government July last to strengthen the country's food stock and run its open market sale (OMS) programme by the food and disaster management ministry.
But, the food and disaster management ministry has so far been unable to carry out the decision due to price hike of the items in the international market and poor response from bidders.
Sources said the prices quoted by bidders were higher prompting the ministry to ask the BDR to import the food grains through Rifles Enterprises.
The government used to import food items through the ministry and used different distribution channels including the BDR.
The BDR has procured different food items from the local market to sell them through opening several outlets. However, the BDR is for the first time importing food items.
The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) starts today (Monday) operations of 80 more fair price retail outlets in the city aiming to increase supply of essentials ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
This was disclosed by the BDR at a press conference on Sunday.
The number of such outlets will rise to 100, Colonel Md Mojibul Hoque, sector commander of the BDR said.
He said wholesale markets will be set up by the next one week in the city's Uttara, Gabtali and Jatrabari areas.
The BDR has already completed constructions and other procedures for establishment of the three wholesale markets.
"The Uttara wholesale market will start operation within a week and the other two in ten-twelve days," Hoque said.
He said the wholesale markets are the new ventures of the BDR through which essential items will be supplied to the retailers.
Hoque, who is also the coordinator of the BDR-run Trade, Commerce and Monitoring Cell, stated that 50 such retail outlets would also be run by Ansar in the city.
Apart from this, private companies will likely to operate 12 to 14 similar shops during the month of Ramadan to rein in the prices of essential commodities.
The BDR, however, has fixed the retail prices of coarse rice at Tk 19 per kilogram (kg) at the outlets.
The prices have been set for Atta at Tk 29 per kg, lentils of different varities between Tk 54 and Tk 63, chickpeas at Tk 55, onion at Tk 25, garlic at Tk 42, ginger at Tk 38, powder turmeric at Tk 72, potato at Tk 18 and salt at Tk 10.
The price of per litre soybean oil has been fixed at Tk 73.
The BDR said fresh vegetables, meat and fish will be available at the outlets during the Ramadan.
The prices at the BDR wholesale markets will be fixed at one or two taka less compared with those at its retail shops, Hoque said.
The BDR sector commander said it has procured a large quantity of essential commodities mainly to rein in prices of essentials during the holy month of Ramadan.
He said that the BDR has ready stocks of 20,000 tonnes of rice, 5000 tonnes of soybean oil and same quantity of red lentils, and 3000 tonnes of chickpeas for sale during the Ramadan.
The BDR sector commander made it clear that the current marketing drive of his organisation was not aimed at making profit.
He said there is a necessity for taking short, medium and long term strategies for combating the prices of essential commodities in the kitchen markets.
Meanwhile, another FE report adds: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) approved Sunday import of 200,000 tonnes of rice and almost the same quantity of wheat through the Rifles Enterprises, the commercial entity of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), to help boost supply and check price spiral of the commodities in the market.
Sources said the BDR earlier sought more than Tk 10.0 billion after it was given the responsibility of distribution of various food items against the backdrop of steep price-rise of the food items.
They said the caretaker government has found it suitable to utilise the BDR channel to import the foodstuffs and market them locally.
The import of the food items by the BDR will help the government avert a lengthy official process under the public procurement regulations like mandatory requirements of performance guarantee, tender procedures and maintaining the timeframe, said a MoF official.
Decision on import of some 450,000 tonnes of rice and 350,000 tonnes of wheat was taken by the government July last to strengthen the country's food stock and run its open market sale (OMS) programme by the food and disaster management ministry.
But, the food and disaster management ministry has so far been unable to carry out the decision due to price hike of the items in the international market and poor response from bidders.
Sources said the prices quoted by bidders were higher prompting the ministry to ask the BDR to import the food grains through Rifles Enterprises.
The government used to import food items through the ministry and used different distribution channels including the BDR.
The BDR has procured different food items from the local market to sell them through opening several outlets. However, the BDR is for the first time importing food items.