Overheated Market
Govt mulls G2G onion import from India
The government is contemplating to import onion from India under government to government or government to business arrangement to ease the price hike of the commodity in the domestic markets, commerce secretary Mahbub Ahmed told New Age on Wednesday.
A two-member government delegation is scheduled to leave Dhaka for New Delhi today for conducting feasibility study for the scheme, he said.
Mahbub said the team would hold talks with government officials, businesspeople and other stakeholders, evaluate the tariff and para-tariff situation and other issues that do matter in pricing of onion in India.
Commerce ministry officials said that after the feasibility study the government would decide whether Bangladesh can import onion from the neighbouring country under G2G or G2B arrangement.
In its weeklong visit, the team led by Trading Corporation of Bangladesh director Abu Syed Mohammad Hashim will also evaluate the possibility of importing other essential products from the country under these arrangements, they said.
Under G2G arrangement, the trade occurs directly between the two governments or government bodies to government bodies of each country while G2B means that government or government agencies import from private business organisations.
On behalf of the government, TCB will import onion from India, if the team finds the business feasible, officials said.
Despite several steps, the government has failed to cool down the overheated onion price in the domestic markets.
So, the ministry has taken step to import onion itself from India, officials said.
Onion was selling at Tk 80-100 a kilogram in the city’s kitchen markets on Wednesday.
In October, a commerce ministry delegation found no scope to import onion from Myanmar under G2G arrangement due to some technical problems.
-With New Age input
