#Title

Govt won’t allow import
FROM PAGE B1
The minister added that egg prices started falling when local producers heard that the government had allowed the import of 15 crore pieces of eggs from India. Bangladesh consumes around 4 crore eggs daily and although only 61,000 eggs have arrived from India so far, prices domestically have already dropped.
The same happened in the case of potatoes. A group of businessmen had been making hefty profits by selling potatoes at higher prices but the moment the government allowed imports of the tuber, prices started falling, the minister said.
Regarding onion prices, the minister said around 30 percent of the total onions produced by domestic growers would rot due to different reasons as it is a perishable item.
Bangladesh mainly imports onions from India to bridge the gap between demand and supply but India recently set a benchmark price of Tk 90 per kg for onions and also imposed a certain percentage of duty on exports of onion.
As a result, the price of onions went up in the domestic market, he added. Also, the decision to import onions and potatoes was delayed, mainly considering the situation of local growers, the minister said.
As for sugar, consumers can hardly enjoy the benefit of duty-reduction on imports of the sweetener because the day when the duty was cut, the exchange rate of the dollar against the taka increased by Tk 8.
As a result, the impact of the duty cut of Tk 1.5 per kg could not be enjoyed by consumers at the retail level. The duty on imports of sugar is Tk 42 per kg, he said.
The minister also blamed fallouts from the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East for the price volatility of essential commodities over the last three and a half years.
Munshi was speaking at the grand finale of a debate competition on consumer awareness jointly organised by the Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection and Debate for Democracy, held at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation in Dhaka.
A debate team from Comilla Victoria Government College won the grand finale while a debate team from Eden Mohila College became runners-up.
The winning team received Tk 2 lakh as prize money while the runners-up got Tk 1 lakh.
AHM Shafiquzzaman, director general of the Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection, said consumers from low-income groups were facing difficulties due to the higher prices of essential commodities. At the same time, farmers’ profits also need to be considered.
Hassan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, chairman of the Debate for Democracy, moderated the competition.

DBL opens
FROM PAGE B1
“The factory will create more jobs, reduce poverty and increase business opportunities while improving working conditions for women and boosting environmental sustainability,” said Cooke.
The mill will play a significant role in Bangladesh’s economic growth, said Shaikh Yusuf Harun, executive chairman (senior secretary) of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority.
“Not only does it promote green building practices, it is also creating 1,000 low-skilled jobs with more than half of them for women,” said Mohammad Rehan Rashid, country director for Bangladesh at the BII.
Abdul Wahed, chairman of DBL Group, MA Jabbar, managing director, MA Rahim, vice-chairman, MA Quader, deputy managing director and group CEO, and Richard Palmer, director and head of private debt at the BII, were also present.