The commerce ministry on Thursday sought police protection for transporting essential commodities across the country amid political unrest and vandalism of goods carrying vehicles in recent days, officials said. They said that the ministry requested the home ministry for arranging police protection for trucks carrying essential products to different parts of the country.
On the other hand, the ministry is going to reduce the price of onion for selling them on open market across the country through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh following the price fall of onion in local and international markets, they said.
The ministry will finalise the decision on reduction of price of onion on Sunday.
‘Importers and traders have been demanding additional protection for their vehicles saying that they cannot carry the imported products including onion and locally produced other kitchen items during political unrest as miscreant are vandalising vehicles, causing harm to their business,’ a high official of the ministry told New Age.
The prices of products also went up because of continuing volatile situation, he said.
The ministry also asked the local administration for taking extra measures to protect the goods laden trucks, he said.
Importers and traders will communicate with the respective district administration for getting additional protection, he added.
Officials said that importers and traders were facing troubles in transporting goods from port areas to different parts of the country due to frequent hartals enforced by opposition parties in almost every week.
In this situation, the ministry also felt for additional protection for vehicles carrying essential commodities to keep the price affordable to consumers, they said.
On reduction of price of onion, TCB on Thursday sent a proposal to the ministry saying that the price of onion in local market was sliding in last few days after a price fall in international markets.
A commerce ministry official said that the ministry would set the new price of onion at affordable level to consumers.
TCB will continue selling onion on OMS (open market sale) through trucks across the country until the price of the product goes down.
Currently, the state-owned trading body is selling onion at Tk 55 a kg.
-With New Age input
