Staff Reporter :
Country’s general people are bearing the brunt of exorbitant prices of food and non-food items due to the hovering of food inflation and declining tendency of the country’s forex reserves.
Instead of mitigating the sufferings of the commoners, the government is always pointing fingers to the aftermath of the Ukraine war to evade their responsibilities.
But the authorities concerned even couldn’t control the market syndicates to ease the sufferings of essential commodities like potato, eggs, onion, garlic, chilies and others.
Though most of such items are not imported from European countries including Ukraine rather these can be imported from neighbouring countries.
But the government is not doing it because of dollar crisis, which may expose the government’s vulnerability of the national economy, sources said.
Meanwhile, 24 prominent citizens of the country have issued a joint statement on Monday to voice their concern about the escalating inflation, particularly the surge in prices of everyday essentials like eggs and potatoes.
The statement reads, “The escalating costs of food items have become unbearable.
We urge the government to implement effective measures to curb this crisis.”
The signatories stated, “The Russian-Ukraine war is
held responsible for the situation and traders say the dollar-crisis has intensified the problem.
Many countries affected by the war have managed to mitigate inflation by implementing stringent monetary policies, cost-cutting measures, and market controls.
Regrettably, Bangladesh has yet to make significant progress in this regard.
“There are allegations of syndicates manipulating prices in the manufacturing, wholesale, and retail markets, with authorities failing to take decisive action or enforce measures against them.”
They said, “This situation is not desirable under any circumstances.
We sincerely hope that the government will promptly address this critical situation with the support of various social forces.
Specifically, measures must be taken to stabilise the prices of essential items such as meat, pulses, onions, eggs, and potatoes, making them affordable for the public. Effective steps should be taken to alleviate public hardship.”
The statement was issued to the media by Sultana Kamal, Rasheda K Chowdhury, Professor Syed Anwar Hossain, Ramendu Mazumder, Dr. Sarwar Ali, Trustee Noor Mohammad Talukder, Prof. MM Akash, Khushi Kabir, Rana Dasgupta, Robayet Ferdous, Zobayda Nasreen, Selu Basit, RM Debnath, Asit Baran Roy, Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, Saleh Ahmed, AK Azad, Parvez Hashem, Zahirul Islam Zahir, Jahangir Alam, Alak Das Gupta, Abdul Waheed, Abdur Razzak, and General Secretary Gautam Sheel. Saleh Ahmed, the General Secretary of Samilit Samaj Andolan.
Admitting the price hike of essential items, Minister of Agriculture Dr. Abdur Razzaque said, “Prices of onion and garlic are high, so common people are sufferer because of high price.
We are seeing news everyday that the prices of onion and garlic are getting high.
Especially the low income people like rickshaw pullers and van drivers-they have to spend a lot to buy onion and garlic.”
“We do not know how big a challenge it is to provide food for 17 crore people of the country.
The millers are also in a very bad situation. They bought rice and paddy thinking that they would make a lot of profit.
But unfortunately the price is lowering in the markets,” the Agricultural Minister said while addressing at a seminar titled ‘Agricultural Revolution and Impact of Climate Change’ held in the city’s Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) on Monday.
It is a big challenge to deal with the adverse environment due to climate change, he said, adding that scientists have to invent new things that which crops can be grown in Bangladesh even in the adverse environmental situation.
“Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries because of climate change. So, we will start a revolution in overall development.
The country is in a very good position in food management due to the government’s emphasis on agriculture sector,” Abdur Razzaque said.
Mentioning to BNP, Abdur Razzaque, also the Awami League Presidium Member said, “We always want a strong opposition party. The government cannot be toppled through movement.
You (BNP) couldn’t in the last 14 years, so can’t even in one-and-a-half months. We are ready to accept the people’s verdict. So, we are urging you (BNP) to come to the election.”
Director General of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr Md Shajahan Kabir presented the keynote paper at the seminar.
