Onion prices increasing in the country's market despite the supply chain being completely normal. Capitalizing on India's export ban, the spice product is being sold at more than double the price. Despite extensive raids and fines for two days, it was not possible to bring the prices under control. Failing to rein in the syndicate, the commerce secretary's voice is helpless. The DB chief's threats did not affect the market. Those concerned say that the campaign will not come under the control market. A gang is taking thousands of crore of taka by cutting the public's pockets for failing to take strict action. Related sources say that even though the syndicate is being run, the government agencies are not able to stop them. Detective Branch (DB) has warned that action will be taken against those responsible for selling onions at high prices in the market and stockpiling and black-marketing this product yesterday. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner HarunOr Rashid said with this warning that several teams of intelligence police have entered the field in Chowkbazar and Shyambazar areas to keep the market under control. In a press conference at his office on Mintu Road in the capital yesterday, he said to a journalist's question, "If anyone does the black market, hoards onions and promises to sell them at high prices, I will bring them under the law." Several teams of the Lalbagh division of DB have worked in the Chowkbazar and Shyambazar areas. Collected intelligence information.' But his threats did not have any effect on the market. Until writing this report yesterday evening, onions have been sold at twice the price across the country including the capital.Before this, the officers of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection started an operation across the country last Saturday afternoon.
AHM Shafiquzzaman has been appointed as director general at the Directorate of National Consumers' Rights Protection (DNCRP)said, "Onion prices have been increased completely irrationally. The campaign against the syndicate will continue. Apart from this, the Directorate of Agriculture and Executive Magistrates have imposed fines in different parts of the country. But it had no impact on the market.The vendors say that the government agencies are creating a base by conducting raids in the market instead of going to the places where raids are needed. A trader in Jatrabari, who did not disclose his name, said, "If the administration wants, the market can be normalized within a few hours." However they are not able to cope with the power of the syndicate and are harassing the innocent traders. The market cannot be fixed by these.
Failing to pull the reins of the syndicate, the voice of the commerce secretary also had a helpless tone. TapanKantiGhosh, senior secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, said that the onion traders did not keep any morality in the hope of extra profit. The Indian government stopped the export of onion and within a day the price of the product suddenly increased in the country. Who sold onion at Tk120 per kg the day before, how can he keep the price at Tk200 the next day? This is not responsible behavior. It will take time for the price to increase. When there is a crisis of everyday products, many businessmen take advantage of it.
In such a situation, onion swarms are increasing. Onion was sold at Tk 200.50 per kg in most shops yesterday. Somewhere it has risen to Tk280. In 48 hours after India stopped onion export, the wholesale price of onion increased by more than Tk140 per kg. In the capital's Shyambazar yesterday morning, local onion wholesale was sold at Tk 210 per kg. Agam new indigenous onions and imported old stock onions are selling at Tk 170 to Tk 180 per kg. Domestic onion is selling at Tk200 and imported stock is selling at Tk 170 per kg in Karwan Bazar. But the government agencies have been active in both markets since the previous day. But the wholesalers have given them a thumbs up and sold onions at increased prices. Retail prices are rising due to natural causes.It has been found that the sudden increase in the price of onion, has adversely affected Pabna, the largest onion-producing region of the country like the rest of the country. More than a quarter of the country's onion demand is met from Pabna. In every wholesale market and open market in the country's largest onion-producing region, onion was sold yesterday at almost one-and-a-half times higher price than last week.
Each new onion (murikata onion) is sold at Tk 4,000 to Tk 5,000, and last season's preserved old onion is sold at around Tk 7,000 per maunds. Tk2 to Tk3 thousand increased every two days.
It is known that there is no shortage of supply of onions in the market. Sufficient onions are already stocked in the warehouse. Those concerned say there was no impact for at least 10 days. Apart from this, even after the announcement of India's export ban, the onions of the previously opened LC are coming to the country. In the last two days, about 1400 tons of onions have arrived in the country from India. 743 tons of onion arrived in Bangladesh in one day through the Sonamsjid land port of Chapainawabganj. These onions entered the country through the landport in 27 trucks last Saturday. On this day, a total of 600 tons of onions were brought to the country through the Bhomra land port in Satkhira in another 20 trucks.
On the other hand, onions grown in the country have also started coming to the market. In a press release yesterday, the Ministry of Agriculture said that the onions and summer onions have started coming to the market. According to the notification, every year Murikata onion is cultivated in about 50 thousand hectares of land and the production is about 8 lakh tons. This year, summer onions have been planted on about 500 hectares of land, and the production will be about 50 thousand tons. It further said that these murikata and summer onions have started coming into the market and will remain in the market for 3 to 3 and a half months. After that, the main onion will start coming and the production may be around 26 to 28 lakh tons.Traders are now looking for alternative sources after neighboring India announced a ban on onion exports. After India, the closest alternative country for Bangladesh is Myanmar. Onions can be imported and marketed within a week from the country. Outside of this are Pakistan, Egypt, China, Netherlands. However, it takes 13 to 30 days to import onions from these countries only by sea. It is known that after India fixed the export price of onion at USD 800 per ton on October 29, onion imports from alternative countries started. Onion was being regularly imported from China and Pakistan, though not in large quantities. Mohammad Shah Alam, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Center of Chittagong Seaport, told the media that since November 26, 830 tons of onions have been imported from China and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the buyers have called to stop buying onions for the next 7 days on social media Facebook to stop the syndicate of traders. The event titled 'Onion boycott for the next seven days' has been opened on Facebook. More than 46,000 people have shown interest in this event until writing this report at 7 pm yesterday. Its number is gradually increasing. In the context of the event, it is said, 'Let's all stop buying onions for seven days. Since it is a perishable commodity, traders and hoarders will automatically fall into line (syndicates will be broken).'
According to BBC Bengal sources, Indian farmers and traders have protested the sudden ban on onion exports. HeeramanPardesi, an onion trader in Maharashtra's Nashik, which has the biggest onion wholesale market, told BBC Bangla that two days ago, farmers were getting a price of 4,000 rupees for a quintal (100 kg) of onions. However, after the announcement of the export ban, the purchase price has been reduced by half. On Friday, farmers got a price of 150 0 to 2000 rupees per quintal of onion. Farmers have stopped selling onions at that price. Protests took place in most onion markets in Maharashtra on Saturday, keeping the markets closed. Farmers and traders blocked the road. They say the government has stopped onion export without any prior notice. As a result, both farmers and traders suffered huge losses.
ARS
