Chattogram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman urged the onion traders to sell onion at Tk 125 per kg.
The Deputy Commissioner gave this warning at in a discussion with the importers of Chattogram at the Conference Room of Chattogram District Administration on Monday afternoon. At that time, although the arothdars of Khatunganj were present, no onion importer was present.
The DC said that most of those who are doing onion business in the wholesale market Chaktai-Khatunganj are commission agents and dealers. Arothdars get a commission of 40 paisa if they sell one kg onion. That is their business. Importers increase the price of products.
The Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman asked curiously, “Arothdars are yours, business is yours". So, why control is in the hand of importers?
Business leaders said that it is not possible for traders to create an artificial crisis of onion. But with the increase in the price of onion in our country, the men in the administration conducted raids. It creates panic. They don't give any documents if they give the product. And when a crisis occurs, he instructs on the phone call to sell at that price.
Khatunganj traders sell accordingly. The auctioneer has no hand in raising or lowering the price. Arothdars do not import onion. We sell products on commission basis. We have to sell as our importers tell us. Otherwise, they don't give us products later, the traders said. The Deputy Commissioner said about this, “You will give us the names and numbers of the importers. We will take action against them through the Ministry of Commerce. But in the current situation onion bought at Tk 90 should not be more than Tk 125 per kg. I am requesting you to sell onion at Tk 125 from now. Keep the receipts (papers) of the product you are purchasing. Price of goods cannot be increased by word of mouth, telephone or DO procedure. If this is done, the administration will be strict with jail and fine”.
The business leaders of Khatunganj said, “Onion market is border-centric (Benapole, Bhomra, Sona Mosque) control. We don't have hands there. We sell onion according to the decision that comes from the border. Bangladeshi traders who have good relations with Indian traders at the border control these businesses. The government can break this syndicate if it wants”.
The DC said, “From now on information of all warehouses in Chaktai, Khatunganj and Pahartali markets of Chattogram will be taken. We will issue public notification to confirm this information. Goods found outside the warehouses will be seized as illegal goods. We will ask for all the information not only in the case of onion but also in the case of sugar. All papers will be in pen. We will not discount anything without documents. We will ask for the receipt of any amount of stock goods. If any good is found without papers we will auction those to the public at a fair price”.
Omar Faruq, Deputy Director of District Administration, said, “We have seen that no shopkeeper keeps purchase receipts. We have repeatedly told you to save the purchase receipt. Arothdars do so with many crores of business, but they don't keep any purchase receipts. I went to the expedition and saw that the warehouses were filled with onion. But there is no onion written on the list outside. I have fined those people. Our campaign will continue”.
Chattogram Chamber Director Ahid Siraj Swapan, Chaktai-Khatunganj Arothdar General Traders Welfare Association President Jahangir Alam, Khatunganj Arothdar Traders Association President Abul Kasem, Khatunganj Hamidullah Market Ardadar Association General Secretary Mohammad Idris and district administration magistrates of Chaktai-Khatunganj area were present.
