The government has stepped up measurers for enhancing imports of key essential commodities to keep their supply and prices stable in the market during Ramadan which will start in late April, officials said. To this end, it has recently askedthe country’s importers concerned to speed up imports of staple goods. Usually, the demand for these commodities soars during the fasting month.Besides, many countries including Bangladesh have been facing crisis caused by coronavirus. Under the circumstances, an adequate supply of essential items should be ensured to meet the growing demand during Ramadan and whole year, a high official of the commerce ministry said. The country has to depend on imports to meet demand even after producing a large amount of various key essential goods including onion, edible oil, sugar, garlic, ginger and spices locally, he added. Currently, the government has also been distributing a huge amount of relief among the pandemic-hitpeople, he said, adding that therewill have demand for such goods during the holy month of fasting. Considering the country’s overall situation, it is badly needed to ensure the supply chain of staple ingredients across the country, he mentioned. When contacted, deputy secretary of the commerce ministry Mohammad MonirHossainHawlader said the commerce ministry on April 13 sent letters to the country’s importers concerned for opening L/Cs for importing key essential items to keep their supply stable in the market during Ramadan and allthe yearround. The ministry has already taken multiple measures to provide aid in import and export sectors to combat the COVID-19 in the country, the officials said. It has doubled its vigilance teams to oversee the kitchen market with intent to give some succour to consumers. The teams have been monitoring the markets to stabilise the prices and supply of the essentials all the yearround. On the other hand, the MoC has constituted eight teams to monitor the truck sale activities of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh across the country so that commoners get goods hassle free. Despite multiple efforts by the government to control the prices of essential goods, prices of essential items like ginger, garlic, onion, potato and loose soybean witnessed a further hike in the city markets last week, battering consumers during this stay-at-home period, a source said. According to the commerce ministry, overall import sector saw 2.2-per cent negative growth from July to January in fiscal year 2020 compared to the same period in FY ’19. Total imports fell 14 per cent in January 2020 alone.An official also said, “We hope the prices of essential items will not only remain stable in upcoming Ramadan, but also all the year round as the government like previous years has taken necessary measures in this regard.”
