SANGSAD BHABAN, Jan 22, 2020 (BSS) – Prime Minister and Leader of the House
Sheikh Hasina today warned that stern action would be taken if someone is
involved in creating artificial crisis of essential commodities in the market.
“Some greedy and profit-mongers often try to grain more profits and destabilise
market by creating artificial crisis of essential commodities. Our government is
very aware of this,” she told the Jatiya Sangsad while replying to a starred
question from treasury bench member Mohammad Ebadul Karim (Brahmanbaria-
5).
The prime minister said if the government could identify the people involved in
creating artificial crisis of essential commodities in the market, stern action would
be taken against them.
Besides, she said, the drives of mobile courts are being carried out regularly to
check price of essentials, while district administrations in coordination with
traders’ associations are monitoring markets.
“By hiring sources, intelligence surveillance continues to control markets,” she
added.
The Leader of the House said the government has taken a plan to buy or import
5,000 metric tonnes of sugar, 3,000 metric tonnes of bottled soybean oil, 2,500
metric tonnes chickpea, 2,500 metric tonnes of pulse and 200 metric tonnes dates
during the current fiscal (2019-20) to sell those through the Trading Corporation
of Bangladesh (TCB).
On the occasion of the holy Ramadan, she said, the government has decided to
import onion through big importers. “The TCB will sell these commodities across
the country through truck sale,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina informed the House that the Commerce Ministry is regularly
monitoring international market scenario of essential goods and local demand,
production, storage and import of these commodities.
“We have achieved sufficiency in key food grain – rice – production. We are
always sincere and aware of these goods which are imported so that no crisis is
created in the market,” she said.