If people don't buy in excess, essential prices won't go up: Tipu

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said there will be no price hike in daily essentials if people refrain from purchasing excess items ahead of Ramadan.

“Rapid Action Battalion members, police and executive magistrates will monitor markets and there will be no price hike in essential items if people do not buy excess items ahead of Ramadan,” he said.

The minister said this while talking to reporters after attending a programme at Chandpur Police Lines Auditorium on Friday.

Due to the dollar price going up, prices of daily essentials have increased in many countries and the prices of imported goods have also seen a rise in Bangladesh, he said.

Keeping this in mind, the government has started selling edible oil, sugar, dates, chickpeas and lentils through the state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at low prices for one crore low-income families, he added.

From Thursday, TCB started selling daily essentials ahead of Ramadan.

The cardholders can buy goods at subsidised rates from specific TCB sales points and dealers’ outlets.

A cardholder can buy 2 litres of soybean oil, 2kg of lentils, sugar, chickpea and 1kg of dates at a time.

The cardholders can buy sugar at Tk 60 per kg, date at Tk 100 per kg, lentils at Tk 70 a kg, chickpeas at Tk 50 per kg, and soybean oil at Tk 110 per litre.