The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Association of Retailers of Dhaka city's fish and kitchen markets have threatened to boycott the wholesalers after November 15, if the wholesalers do not implement the agreement reached with the Government last September.

They demanded an immediate end to the wholesalers' absolute control over price of essentials in the markets.

The Association demanded this with a view to arrest abnormal price hike at a conference at its office in the city yesterday.

Although the wholesalers complied with the accord during Ramzan they were extorting extra money from the retailers in the name of weighing the goods and cheating them in weight, they alleged.

The wholesalers do not give sales receipts for any purchase in accordance with the agreement reached with the Government.

The Association leaders told reporters, if the harassment by the wholesalers could be stopped, the price of fish and vegetables would come down within the reach of the middle-class people.

President of the Association Anwar Hossain Sikdar presided over the conference, while its Secretary AKM Moniruzzaman Monir read out the speech. Members Nur Uddin Matubbar, Oliur Rahman, Abdul Khaleque, Abdullah Salim, Abdul Matin, Abdus Sabur and Muklesur Rahman, among others, were present.

UNB adds: Leaders of the association at a press conference at its Topkhana office demanded the setting up of government-run fish storehouses at different kitchen markets in the city to help them run their business smoothly.

If the government does so, it will be possible to maintain all the market-regulatory formalities from the proposed fish-houses. They called for properly implementing the government decision adopted in the inter-ministerial meeting held at LGRD Ministry on September 12.

It was decided in the meeting that the wholesalers would not take extra money in the name of 'kayeli'.

Terming the Kayeli system of the middlemen as extortion, chairman of the association Anwar Hossain Shikder said fish wholesalers take at least Tk 5 as kayeli charge for per kilogram of fish.

He said the wholesalers also take some fishes from the retailers after selling those in the name of 'Khoraki', thus causing the price hike of fish.

Anwar Hossain also alleged that the wholesalers, for maintaining their supremacy over the fish market, order Dhaka-bound fish sellers from different districts over mobile phone not to come in the capital telling them that prices here are very low. "In this way, they control the market creating artificial crisis," he said. Responding to a query, Anwar said, "We have no alternative but to go to the fish wholesalers. If the government builds some fish storehouses, such artificial crisis and price hike can be eased."