Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will import essential goods of around Tk 2,500 crore this year, the highest ever, to stabilise the market in the country. Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said this in response to a question from treasury bench member Nurul Islam Bsc during a question-answer session in the House yesterday.
Khan said the government had imported goods worth Tk 47.20 crore in 2009-10 and Tk 6.14 crore in 2008-09. He said the storage capacity of food was 32,660 tonnes in 2010-11, and steps has been taken to increase the capacity to 74,460 tonnes by 2011-12.
Replying to a question from BNP lawmaker ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan, the minister said the price of coarse rice has increased by 31.48 percent this year while that of flour has by 47.83 percent. He said the government is making its relentless efforts to keep the price of essentials within the purchasing capacity of commoners, as it was one of its election pledges. Khan said international food market is in a volatile situation as production sharply decreased in many food-producing countries because of natural calamities.
Despite that, he added, the government has taken all initiatives to increase food production and import to build up a sufficient food-stock in the country to keep the market stable.Besides, the minister said, the government has moved to unload important foodstuff as soon as possible in all ports and work closely with trade bodies to keep the food price lower. Replying to a question from independent member Mohammad Fazlul Azim, the minister said the government is not involved in any business as it pursues a free-market economy.
News Source: The Daily Star