Consumers are struggling to buy these products in the inflationary market. They say the government needs to take effective steps along with increasing strict surveillance in the market.
Representatives of the anti-discrimination student movement met with the Bangladesh Competition Commission on August 21.
At the meeting, Md. Bin Yamin Molla, a student of the Department of Public Administration at Dhaka University, gave a seven-day deadline (ultimatum) saying that the price of soybean oil should be increased to Tk 120 per liter, sugar to Tk 90 per kg, and potatoes to Tk 25 per kg. This ultimatum was given to the relevant government institutions including the Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture, Bangladesh Bank.
When asked about this, Md. Bin Yamin Molla said, 'Along with the ultimatum to reduce commodity prices, we had a demand that those who were friends of the previous dictatorial government should resign. After that, Competition Commission Chairman Pradeep Ranjan Chakraborty is no longer in his post.
He said, "It has been almost two months since the new government came to power, but there has been no significant change in the main need of the people of our country, namely reducing the prices of goods. So how have the expectations of the people who gave so much life and blood been fulfilled? No results are coming."
Mamun Ahmed, a private sector employee, came to the Kalachandpur Bou Bazaar in the capital's Gulshan-2 area. When asked about the price of the product, he told Kaler Kantho, white potatoes cost 65 taka per kg. It shouldn't be this expensive. Earlier, these potatoes were between 25 and 30 taka. But now they are more than double. It's not that there are no potatoes in the market, there is a shortage. There are potatoes, but the prices are high. This cannot be. The government needs to take immediate action in this regard now.
Consumers say that traders reduced the prices of daily necessities slightly in the first two weeks after the new government came to power. But as time passed, the traders' syndicates changed their tune and continued to act as before. However, no effective action is being taken by the government.
In this regard, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Vice President SM Nazer Hossain said, "Syndicates are operating in the market. Traders are now coming in new forms. After August 5, the prices of goods were slightly lower for about two weeks. After that, traders realized that the current government would not do anything about traders. That is why they have kept their activities as before."
Importers say that the government has to pay 40 to 42 taka per kilogram of sugar, including all types of VAT and taxes. This increases the price of imported sugar. On the other hand, they are under pressure due to the smuggling of sugar from India. As a result, the price of sugar is not decreasing.
