Govt sets per capita consumption, demand target of nine essentials for 7 years

The government has fixed per capita consumption and country's demand for nine key essentials for next seven fiscal years aiming to implement its vision-2021, officials said.
The household consumption of food items are: edible oil, sugar, onion, lentil, gram, ginger, salt, garlic and dates.
Size of population, consumption per people, purchasing power and volume of domestic production and import of the items have been taken into consideration at the time of fixation of the annual demand.   
The tariff commission has set the demand target of essentials according to the direction of the ministry of commerce (MoC).
There is no mention of any recommendations to meet up unexpected increase in consumption of essentials in the country in future, according to the paper.
It also showed that there is no mention of any initiative to increase the production of the essentials locally. As usual, the government has depended on import to meet the future demand of the essential items.
The manifold use of the key nine essentials has recorded rise due to increase in purchasing power, domestic production and the rapid growth of population in the country.
Some 4 per cent increase in per year consumption has been taken into consideration, according to the tariff commission data.
The data also showed that the set demand may be changed if the commercial and industrial use rises.
"We are working on the issue and will sit at an inter-ministerial meeting soon for taking necessary initiatives in this connection," Senior Secretary of the MoC, Hedayatullah Al-Mamun, told the FE on Monday.
The target of nine key essential items has been calculated on the basis of country's economic growth and consumption habit of people, he said.
The implementation of the target may be hampered if there is any natural calamity in the country, he said.
He, however, said the MoC will communicate with the international agencies concerned regularly to work on the issue accurately.
"All the items are import-based mostly by the private traders. Government participation is very marginal in the field. So, the government should take initiatives for keeping the prices, stocks and supply of the essential items stable and adequate in the market to contain abnormal prices and artificial crisis by the private traders concerned, consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) president Golam Rahman, told the FE on Monday.
The government has to attach importance to produce the items locally for reducing the import dependency. For this, necessary policy and credit support will have to be provided to the sectors concerned as per necessity, he said.
Edible oil:
The per capita consumption of edible oil has been set at 10.50 kg for the current fiscal year (FY). It has been estimated at 11.50 kg, 12.50 kg, 12.75 kg, 13.0 kg, 13.50 kg and 14.60 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, domestic demand of edible oil is 1.65 million tonnes in the FY 2014-15 while some 1.49 million tonnes will be imported to fulfil the demand. In FY 2020-21, oil consumption will stand at 2.49 million tonnes and it is necessary to import 2.36 million tones of crude edible oil for fulfilling the demand of the FY.
Sugar:
Per capita sugar demand has been set at 9.19 kg for the current FY. It has been estimated at 9.86 kg, 10.50 kg, 11.28 kg, 12.38 kg, 12.77 kg and 13.0 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, some 1.54 million tonnes crude sugar is imported against the domestic demand of 1.44 million tonnes in the FY 2014-15.  In FY 2020-21, total sugar consumption will stand at 2.21 million tonnes while some 2.36 million tonnes of crude sugar will be needed to fulfil the demand of the FY.
Onion:
Per capita onion consumption has been set at 13.37 kg for the current FY. It has been estimated at 13.90 kg, 14.46 kg, 15.04 kg, 15.64 kg, 16.26 kg and 16.91 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, the total domestic demand of onion is 2.10 million tonnes in the FY 2014-15.  In FY 2020-21, onion consumption demand will be 2.88 million tones.
Lentil:
Per capita lentil consumption has been set at 2.51 kg for the FY 2014-15. It has been estimated at 2.61 kg, 2.71 kg, 2.82 kg, 2.93 kg, 3.05 kg and 3.17 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, the total domestic demand of lentil is 0.395 million tonnes in the FY 2014-15.  In FY 2020-21, lentil consumption demand will be 0.541 million tones.
Gram:
Per capita gram consumption has been set at 0.53 kg for the current fiscal year (FY). It has been estimated at 0.56 kg, 0.58 kg, 0.60 kg, 0.63 kg, 0.65 kg and 0.68 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, the total domestic demand of gram is 84 thousand metric tonnes in the FY 2014-15.  In FY 2020-21, gram consumption demand will be 0.115 million tones.
Garlic:
Per capita garlic consumption is set at 3.34 kg for the FY 2014-15. It has been estimated at 3.48 kg, 3.61 kg, 3.76 kg 3.91 kg, 4.07 kg and 4.23 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, the total domestic demand of garlic is 0.527 million tonnes in the FY 2014-15.  In FY 2020-21, garlic consumption demand will be 0.721 million tonnes.
Salt:
Per capita salt consumption is 17.00 kg for the current FY. It has been estimated at 17.00 kg, 17.00 kg, 17.00 kg, 17.00 kg, 17.00 kg and 17.00 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, the total domestic demand of salt has been set at 2.06 million tonnes in the FY 2014-15.  In FY 2020-21, the essential item's consumption will be 2.65 million tones.
Ginger:
Per capita ginger consumption is 3.34 kg for the current fiscal year (FY). It has been estimated at 3.48 kg, 3.61 kg, 3.76 kg, 3.91 kg, 4.07 kg and 4.23 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, the total domestic demand of ginger is 0.527 million tonnes in the FY 2014-15.  In FY 2020-21, the essential item's consumption will be 0.721 million tones.
Dates:
Per capita dates consumption has been set at 0.13 kg for the current FY. It has been estimated at 0.14 kg, 0.14 kg, 0.15 kg, 0.16 kg, 0.16 kg and 0.17 kg from the FYs 2015-16 to 2020-21 respectively.
Presently, the total domestic demand of dates is 0.21 thousand metric tonnes in the FY 2014-15. In FY 2020-21, the seasonal essential item consumption demand will be 0.29 thousand metric tones.
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