The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Commerce Ministry officials are of the opinion that meetings with the business leaders never help attain any respite in the price hike of essential commodities, which reached out of the range of middle and lower income people.

"We will sit with the businessmen to discuss the issue but I am less hopeful of any good result. Such meetings never bring any positive result… no respite in the price hike of essentials," an official of the Ministry told The New Nation.

"We sit for meeting with the business leaders as we have to do it compulsorily to demonstrate people that the Government is trying to do something," he added. The official said, "We met with the business leaders in different occasions, even before Ramzan. They promised several times not to increase price of commodities but they did rise."

"When we sit with the business leaders requesting them to bring down the price of essentials they always talk about international market price of commodities but never speak about their high profit making," he said.

In the wake of abnormal price rise of essential commodities in the kitchen market the Government price monitoring committee will sit Wednesday with business leaders from different fields. Representatives from the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, edible oil importers and other business leaders will attend the meeting with Commerce Ministry joint secretary Mohammad Ali Patwari in the chair.

In the recent days price of rice, sugar, powder milk, edible oil, onion, egg, flour and lentil marked sharp rise. Price of most of the commodities rose by Tk 4/5 per kg. Price of per kilogram of flour reached record high of Tk 38.

On the other hand para-military Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) yesterday said there is no chance of reduction of price of essential commodities in the next six months, as the country has to depend on import for most of the commodities.