Price hike of essentials: Govt plans to sell vegetables through OMS

The government plans to sell some vegetables at subsidised prices for the low-income groups as part of a pilot project in the capital.

According to the plan, it will purchase the vegetables, which include potatoes, onions and green chilies, directly from farmers and then sell those through the open market sales (OMS) at designated spots in areas where low-income residents live.

At least 10 such locations have been fixed so far. If the pilot project is successful, the number of selling points would be increased.

The agriculture ministry is currently working to implement the plan within the next few days.

The decision was made at a special meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and several other advisers at the chief adviser's official residence yesterday.

The meeting was held amid widespread criticisms and concerns over the skyrocketing prices of essentials.

The prices of eggs and several vegetables have shot up recently.

Thus, the government has decided to import more eggs and reduce tariffs on various essentials.

Recently, the tariff on sugar has been brought down. On October 9, the National Board of Revenue brought down the duty on sugar imports from 30 to 15 percent. The import cost of raw sugar has been cut down by Tk 11.18 per kg and the cost of refined sugar by Tk 14.26 per kg.

The government plans to reduce the tariffs on other products as well, but specific details were not yet disclosed.

At yesterday's meeting, the chief adviser also instructed the task force overseeing the market to take action against anyone forming syndicates to artificially inflate prices.

Moreover, he directed the commerce adviser to regularly meet the major importers of essentials.

Asked, an agriculture ministry source told The Daily Star, "Ordinary people, particularly those with limited incomes, are struggling with the high prices of essentials. The government is aware of this situation. Due to unforeseen factors, such as the recent floods, the vegetable market is spiralling out of control. To address this, the government is considering selling vegetables at subsidised prices."

The Department of Agricultural Marketing, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will provide the necessary support for this initiative, he added.

The previous Awami League government had made efforts to sell fish, meat and milk at fair prices.

The current government is taking this approach for the first time since it came to power on August 8. It plans to subsidise the sales of selected commodities.

Sources further revealed that the road transport and bridges ministry will provide BRTC trucks to transport vegetables from production hubs to the capital -- potatoes from Munshiganj, and onions from Faridpur and Pabna.

At yesterday's meeting, Yunus emphasised that all measures must be taken to make sure the essentials are affordable. He also issued a stern directive to his advisers so they do not hesitate while making necessary decisions in this regard.

Those present at the meeting included Commerce Adviser Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed; Legal Adviser Asif Nazrul; Industry Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan; Road Transport and Bridges Division Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan; and Agriculture Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.