Ramazan and prices

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It was declared with some fanfare about a month ago that government was girding up its loins and would take effective steps to do the market monitoring job during the month of Ramazan.
Ramadan is well under way but there is no sign of the promised market vigilance. Meanwhile, prices of most kinds of foodstuffs consumed during Ramazan have been rising without any justification for the same. Though prices of imported kitchen items that are found to be in heavy demand during Ramadan have recorded a fall in varying degrees in international markets, there is no reflection of the same in our markets.
The commerce minister will have to eat his own absolute assurances of keeping prices of Ramadan foods--stable-- which he made prior to the start of the month of austerity.
People want to know what has happened to his allout preparations for TCB's role in the market. TCB has not able to make any mark in the market. Its operations -- direct or indirect -- are hardly visible there. TCB, for all practical purposes, remains non-functional, as far as the price situation is concerned.
The domestic stocks of many items are stated to be comfortable and also there are no major supply snags in a situation where even the domestic production of some goods and items that have come under inflationary pressure, were reported to be comparatively better this year than that of the last year. Thus, there is no reason for the escalation in the prices of such goods. Why then are the prices rising?
Md Ibrahim
Azimpur Staff Quarter
Dhaka