Within next three days, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will sell potatoes at Tk. 25 per kg, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said.
He said the government has fixed Tk. 23 per kg at cold storage, Tk. 25 at wholesale and Tk. 30 as retail price. This is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, it is the responsibility of the Department of Agricultural Marketing to monitor market prices, identify the causes of market growth and advise the government to stabilize it. They have given us a suggestion considering all these.
He made the remarks after a meeting with cold storage owners, stockiest and wholesalers at the Commerce Ministry on Sunday (October 18).
The Commerce Minister said the prices have been fixed by the Bangladesh Department of Agricultural Marketing at three levels. That will be strictly implemented. Our job is to look after the interests of consumers. That's why we have a responsibility to make sure that consumers get the advice they give us. That is why we are sitting in a discussion today.
"We have decided today to implement the price given by the Department of Agricultural Marketing," he said. Meanwhile, the president of the Cold Storage Association said that they are considering the price fixed by the Department of Agricultural Marketing. In that regard, I have said that we will sit down with the Department of Agricultural Marketing in a day or two and if they can show them any reason, they can give it. But one of the two things we have at the moment is that we want to implement the price we have been given immediately. And secondly, as always in our past crisis, we called TCB. So we will instruct TCB to buy potatoes from the market quickly so that within the next three days, the general consumers will get potatoes at the rate of Tk. 25 per kg through TCB.
The minister said the price of per kg potato has been fixed at Tk. 23 at the cold storage level. If not, the government has the power to buy potatoes from cold storage at this price and release them in the market. So we don't want to endanger them. As calculated 23, 25 and 30 rupees. That has been done with enough consideration.
The commerce minister said potato production would be delayed this year. Besides, floods have affected normal vegetables. This has had some effect on potatoes. Winter vegetables will come to the market in a few days then the pressure on potatoes will decrease. So if someone stocks or keeps it, it will be in danger.
“We don’t have a shortage that needs to be high-frustrated,” he said. According to the Department of Agriculture, production has increased. The demand for potatoes has increased a little but it is not a dangerous situation under any circumstances. That's why I want to tell traders and cold storage owners to sell potatoes at the fixed price. From now on, potatoes will have to be sold in cold storage at Tk. 23, in the wholesale market at Tk. 25 and in the retail market at Tk. 30.
Asked if the implementation of the price has been fixed and whether it will be monitored, Tipu Munshi said, "We have not fixed this price." However, we will implement this price quickly. Besides, traders have said that this price should be taken into consideration. We will sit there in a day or two and see if everyone thinks that one more taka needs to be increased from Tk. 23.
"We will implement the price that has been set for us at the moment," he added. And we will try to sell what has been made in the market at Tk. 30, through TCB at Tk. 25. We have monitoring teams in the markets. Rab will also go in the operation from tomorrow.
The meeting was conducted by Commerce Secretary Md. Zafar Uddin while high officials of the Commerce ministry, Agriculture marketing, TCB, representatives of Consumers Rights and owners of Cold storage association were present.