Commerce Adviser Sk. Bashir Uddin on Tuesday said that the government is working to further simplify trade and commerce in the country while all practical cooperation would be ensured in this regard, reports BSS.
The Commerce Adviser said this at a meeting to review the stockpile and import of rice situation held at the Ministry of Commerce Conference Room at the secretariat in the city.
Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder attended the meeting as an invited guest, said a Commerce Ministry press release.
Mentioning that the government would try to resolve any problem faced by the businessmen, the Commerce Adviser said that there is a big gap in the prices of rice in the wholesale market and the retail market while the government wants to solve it by knowing the real reason.
"We want to ensure a normal market environment," he added.
Bashir said that the prices of most commodities have come down. Although the price of rice in the market has increased slightly, but, it will decline very soon, he hoped.
Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder said that the government's food stock is now over 1.2 million tonnes while 100,000 tonnes of rice would come from Myanmar this month.
He informed that efforts are underway to procure rice from other neighboring countries on G2G basis while the government has also taken initiative to procure rice from multiple sources instead of relying on imports from a single source.
Majumder mentioned that rice is being provided regularly to low-income people through the state-run TCB as some 50,000 families are receiving 30 kgs of rice each under the food-friendly program.
In addition, the regular operations of the Ministry of Food like OMS are going on.
Aditya Majumder of Majumder Agro Food Industries said that banks are not willing to open LCs as they have to open LCs at a hundred percent margin. "This is preventing the businessmen from importing rice."
At this time, he sought cooperation from the two advisers to reduce the LC margin and ensure dollar supply.
Rice trader Nazir Pradhan suggested that the government procure rice through local and international tenders to keep the rice market stable.
