There is no possibility of price hike of essentials in the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, commerce minister Tofail Ahmed said Monday.
He was talking to reporters after a meeting between the ministry of commerce (MoC) and businessmen.
The MoC organised the meeting to review the stock, supply and price situation of essential items in the country ahead of Ramadan where importers, representatives from trade bodies, different ministries and intelligence agencies were present.
Prices of essentials will remain stable in the coming months, particularly during Ramadan, the month of fasting for the Muslims, as the country has sufficient import, stock and supply of the items, the traders assured the MoC.
The minister said there were no reasons for price hike of the essential or shortfall in supply not only in Ramadan, but also in later months.
"I do not buy fruits from markets fearing formalin contamination. For preventing the use of formalin in food items, the government is amending the relevant act keeping the provision for summary trial," Mr Tofail said.
"People of the country must be protected from the harmful formalin. So, we are going to take tough action against those who mix formalin with foodstuffs," he said.
There is also no possibility of artificial crises of essentials, if the supply chain remains smooth, the minister added.
Importers in the meeting said they have to pay tax in three phases. For this, they are facing problems. So, they want to pay tax only once instead of three times.
The commerce minister, however, assured the importers of solving the tax complexities. He said, "I will talk to the authorities concerned in this connection."
The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) sources said proper steps have already been taken to help ensure smooth supply and storage of edible oil, sugar, dates, lentils and chick-pea during Ramadan.
MoC senior secretary Mahbub Ahmed, Haji Mohammad Selim MP, representatives from the TCB, different business groups and Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection (DNCRP), among others, were present at the meeting.
