Potatoes Being Sold at 3.5 Times More Price of Imports
At the end of the season, the supply of potatoes in the market is normal, yet the product is being sold at three and a half times higher prices. Potatoes are being imported from India at Tk21.60 per kg.
Including transportation costs and other costs and profits, the product is supposed to be sold at a maximum wholesale price of Tk28 and a maximum retail price of Tk35. But buyers are buying those potatoes at Tk75 per kg in the market.
Along with imports, new potatoes from farmers have started coming to the market. On the other hand, the Ministry of Commerce has reduced the duty rate on potato imports from 25 percent to 15 percent. Still, the price of potatoes is increasing in the market due to the syndicate in the commission trade.
It is known that the tree of this syndicate is the importers and the main root is the Shyambazar shopkeeper syndicate. They have been involved in a deep conspiracy to illegally profit from the beginning. The importers sell potatoes to shopkeepers through commission.
Meanwhile, another syndicate is going on in the country's cold storage. Those who are storing potatoes in cold storage are now selling them at a higher price. Due to this the price of potatoes has increased. There are a few traders here who are controlling the market.
Md. Rabiul Islam, who came to the capital's Karwan Bazar, said that the price of potatoes falls below Tk25 every year before winter arrives. But this year, a kilogram of potatoes costs Tk75, this is anarchy. Is there no one to see this?
In this regard, Golam Rahman, former president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh, said, "No government body has been able to break the syndicate in the market till now. However, people expected the interim government to break the syndicate. But that is not happening either. After the formation of the government, the prices of some products suddenly decreased due to the cessation of extortion.
However, after a few days, the prices of products have started increasing again due to the change of hands of extortion. In the meantime, the old syndicate has become active. It has increased the prices of products."
Comments