Onion prices in wholesale markets started decreasing since the last two days due to several time-befitting initiatives undertaken by the government. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Thursday told the media that the price hopefully would come down to less that Tk 60 per kg within ‘one or two days’. In a bid to regulate the skyrocketing price of onion and control its illegal hoarding, the government carried separate mobile court drives in different districts across the country on Thursday also.
In Chattogram, five tonnes of onions were seized from a warehouse of construction materials. The hoarders have been brought under surveillance and warned of strict action if reluctant to release hoarded onions. Some of the hoarders are being fined also. Due to these all-out measures, prices of onion have started decreasing.
Meanwhile, to increase the market inflow, hundreds of tonnes of onion is being imported from different countries including Myanmar, Turkey and Iran. In last two days, over 1000MT onions entered into the country through the Teknaf land port. On the other hand, after extracting out over Tk 10 crore takas from the consumers, hoarders at the country’s largest wholesaler onion market at Khatunganj in Chattogram started discharging onions at Tk 15-20 less per kg than the previous day.
Law enforcing agencies are collecting information over how much onions were imported by whom during the last two months. The monitoring team of commerce ministry held a meeting with the onion importers at Teknaf to ensure immediate release of imported onions. Due to the ongoing drive against illegal hoarders of onion during last two days, prices of onion have started decreasing at the wholesale markets, though it is yet to create any impact in the retail markets.
On Thursday, onions were sold at Tk 55-75 at the wholesale markets while its retail prices were Tk 100-110. Meanwhile, the government is contemplating to fix the price of onion to tackle the unstable market, said agriculCommerce Minister TipuMunshi on Wednesday hoped onion price would come down to Tk 60-70 per kg within one or two days supported by better supply and strengthened market watch.
“Onion price will come down to Tk 60 to Tk 70 by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow as 483 tonnes supply from Myanmar has already reached the country and 400 to 500 tonnes more will reach today,” Munshi told a press conference at his office. He also thinks that the TCB’s ongoing Tk 45 per kg open market sale campaign will help lower the price.
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque also said the ministry will import onion from Egypt, Turkey and Myanmar to tackle the crisis, said the minister, adding that the crisis of onions in the local market is temporary. Dr Razzak also expressed frustration at India’s decision to stop the export of onions. Drives across the country, fine: In Chattogram, upazila administration has seized five tonnes of onion in a warehouse in Purahat area of Hathazari upazila of the district.
According to Upazila Executive Officer Md Ruhul Amin, about 5 tonnes of onion, which was imported from India on September 11, had been stored illegally in a warehouse of Rod-Cement by businessman Ruhul Amin. He was later forced to sell onions at 70taka/kilogram and paid a fine of Tk 50,000. In addition, a mobile court has fined Tk 70,000 for selling onions at a high price at Fakirhat and Noapara in Rouzan.
In Lakshmipur, the price of one kg onion was reduced to Tk 25 after a mobile court operation in the onion wholesale market in the district. In Manikganj, the Consumer Protection Department has launched a drive in the wholesale market of the district. During the operation, three traders were fined for failing to show onion purchase vouchers, failing to show price list and for measurement fraud.
In Barisal, onion prices have been at Tk 95 to 110 per kg in the wholesale market in Barisal for the past few days, but after drives were conducted yesterday the price was reduced to Tk 70. The mobile court fined Tk 12,000 for selling onions at a high price. In Satkhira, a monitoring team visited the land port of Bhomra yesterday under the leadership of joint secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Abdus Samad Al Azad to keep the onion market stable. At the time, the joint secretary said there was no opportunity to artificially create an unstable environment by causing a crisis about onions.
Onion prices have started to decline a bit in Shyam Bazar, Dhaka. According to the authorities, the demand for onion has decreased in the market since Wednesday. Mobile courts are being operated in different districts of the country. Besides, the onion of Myanmar and Turkey is entering through Chattogram port and Teknaf. This has increased supply across the country. On Tuesday, the onion price at Manved in Shyam Bazar was Tk 90 to 100 on wholesale which was reduced to Tk 80-90 on Wedndesday. However, this did not affect the retail market of the capital.
Haji Md. Majed, general secretary of Shyambazar Paikari Peyaj Byabshayi Samity said, “We have to sell onions at higher prices as importers raise the price. Now the government is operating mobile courts across the country. The onion supply has increased through this. So the demand for onion in Shyambazar has also decreased. Soon the onion price will drop further.”
