Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi today said rice market would become normal within a month.
“The present problem of rice would not exist long. Boro rice will appear in early April. We have taken initiative to import one million tons of food. About three and a half lakh tones of food have already arrived in the country,” he said.
The minister said this while talking to reporters after inaugurating a mural of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Rangpur Zilla Parishad premises this afternoon.
Regarding the increase in oil prices, the minister said, “If the price of oil does not come down in the international market, its price in Bangladesh will not come down.”
“We import 90 per cent of our required edible oil. We want to supply oil at a lower price through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh,” he said, adding that steps have been taken to double food imports before the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
Replying to a question, Tipu said, “We, the people of Rangpur, want to be number one as Rangpur is a place of many traditions. We want to move forward by upholding the traditions and spirit of the War of Liberation.”
Stating that efforts are being made to bring gas to Rangpur for setting up factories, the minister said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always is sincere and cordial for development of Rangpur and North Bengal .”
“The government is trying to bring a lot of foreign investment in the Rangpur region. In the next one and a half years, it will be possible to set up several industries to Rangpur,” he said.
Earlier, a discussion meeting was held at Zila Parishad premises after inauguration of the mural of Bangabandhu with District Council Chairman Advocate Chhafia Khanom in the chair.
Awami League (AL) central committee member and former lawmaker Advocate Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia, Rangpur district AL General Secretary Advocate Rezaul Karim Raju, city AL General Secretary Tushar Kanti Mandal, district council member Sirajul Islam Pramanik and district BCL president Mehedee Hasan Rony , among other were present.
[BSS]
