Ministry’s no to plea for onion IP extension

The agriculture ministry has turned down a proposal put forward by the commerce ministry to extend the existing import permit (IP) for onion for the greater interest of the country's agriculture sector, sources said.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) under the agriculture ministry informed the commerce ministry about its decision on Sunday last.
The commerce ministry had requested the agriculture ministry to extend the timeframe for IP by four more months to an eight-month period to facilitate onion shipment and boost the supply of the key kitchen staple in the domestic market during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Currently, DAE issues IP for four months to import onions from the date of issuing, but in the context of application filed by applicant concerned (importer/traders), the state agency can extend the timeframe by two more months, according to Section 6 (1) of Plant Quarantine Rules, 2018.
It is mentioned that generally, the validity of an IP is effective for up to six months, said a high official of the DAE.
As a signatory to the sanitary and phytosanitary measures agreement of WTO, Bangladesh is obliged to comply with necessary steps in dealing with export/import activities of plant and plant-derived products.
The state agency has been carrying out its duty by taking effective steps to ensure risk-free import consignments to protect the country's agriculture sector.
It has also been enhancing and expending the exports of plant and plant-derived goods as per the existing international rules and regulations. The progress on extending the timeframe for IP had come at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the commerce ministry recently, said officials. Representatives from the agriculture ministry, DAE and other relevant state agencies were present in the meeting.
In principle, a good number of participants at the meeting had expressed their opinions to extend the existing time period of IP up to six or eight months in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic situation, a senior official of the commerce ministry said.
He also expressed sorrow that the timeframe for IP is unlikely to increase from existing level. The decision may hamper the supply of onion in the domestic market, he added.
"But the government's top priority is to stabilize the commodity market during the ongoing pandemic," he said.
Currently, the commerce ministry is keeping a close watch on key import and supply channels on the most-consumed item onion to avoid the repetition of unusual price hikes and also to keep the onion prices stable in the domestic market by enhancing its supply, an official of the commerce ministry said.
The prices of widely-consumed onion are on the rise at retail level.

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