Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s measure for containing the prices of essentials seems to go into futility as the prices of essential items have shown an upward trend recently. Obviously it is a matter of concern for all in the country that prices of essential commodities, mainly food items including rice, wheat, pulses, sugar, edible oils, ginger, garlic, onion, potato, meat, chicken, fish, and vegetables are being sold at higher prices.
Besides, the expenses for school stationery, medicine and transport have also increased forcing many families to cut the food intake to cope with the rising living costs. Bangladesh Post on Friday ran a story headlined “Cartel looks invincible, prices spiral up”, saying middlemen pocket Tk 10cr a day as undue gain.
Blaming the ‘middlemen’ for such situation, market insiders allege that the syndicate is active, but the authorities concerned fail to trace the existence of the syndicate, which pockets about Tk 10 crore per day by selling eggs and chicken only. Immediately after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government media reports in recent months were full of government actions including pictures of personnel of different law enforcement agencies and students visiting kitchen markets to ensure fair prices across the country.
One may ask what are the causes behind rising food prices in our country? How much of the rise is due to changes in demand and supply in the international commodity markets? How much effective the measures taken by the authorities have become to check the price rise and what other options exist to deal with the prevailing situation?
The lower, lower middle, middle and fixed
income groups of people particularly day-labourers,
rickshaw-pullers, drivers or housemaids are the worst
sufferers from essentials price hike.
Earlier the deputy commissioners were asked to keep vigil against food stocking as some unscrupulous traders become desperate to make quick bucks creating artificial crisis through hoarding of food items. Whether the deputy commissioners are giving special attention to stop such acts and make sure that the consumers do not smart from unusual price hike. And whether any tougher legal actions have been taken against hoarders, dishonest businessmen, traders, and some vested elements involved in making the country’s kitchen market volatile and everything has gone beyond the purchasing capacity of people.
The lower, lower middle, middle and fixed income groups of people particularly day-labourers, rickshaw-pullers, drivers or housemaids are the worst sufferers from essentials price hike. They are facing serious financial hardship as running families have now become unbearable for them.
On the other hand, an organised syndicate comprising traders and wholesalers are still hiking the prices of everything including daily necessities. Though the drives are being conducted by mobile courts and Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, the identified members of this unholy nexus remain still untouched.
As a result, they have become desperate to make profit in large margin in dishonest and unethical way. It is very unfortunate that when people are passing through hard days, some elements are indulging in compounding the crisis further.
A good sense should prevail upon the businessmen and they must pay heed to the Chief Adviser’s call. We hope that they (businessmen) will sell all the essential commodities at fair prices across the country during this tough time.
