Staff Reporter:
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir yesterday said the market situation remains satisfactory and that visible improvements in market management will come very soon.
“We have come to monitor the market. We want to see whether products are being sold at the prices they are supposed to be sold,” he told journalists after making a surprise visit to Mohammadpur Town Hall kitchen market in the capital this afternoon.
The minister said there is an adequate supply of commodities in the market. “Very soon there will be positive changes in market management. Some people are trying to take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan. Those involved in price manipulation will face legal action,” he warned.
He said the government has taken various plans to make the market fully stable and comfortable for con-sumers, though implementation will take some time. In this regard, he sought overall cooperation from media professionals, expressing hope that joint efforts would bring relief to the people, said a Commerce Ministry press release.
During the inspection, the minister visited different shops and verified prices of commodities on the spot. Referring to the administrative challenges of monitoring all markets in a mega city like Dhaka at once, Muktadir said it is not practically possible to deploy government teams simultaneously in every market. However, 10 teams of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection are working reg-ularly. “Our goal is to ensure that traders remain aware that they are under constant surveillance,” he added.
Replying to a question on whether the market is hostage to a handful of syndicates, the minister said the government is closely monitoring the matter to ensure that the market does not fall under the control of a few individuals and reiterated that positive changes will be visible soon.
With Ramadan going on, the minister urged traders to uphold religious values and morality. “Please do not charge extra prices from consumers during Ramadan. I also perform my prayers; you should not increase people’s suffering during this holy month,” he said, calling on businesspeople to avoid excessive profiteering and stand by ordinary citizens.
He noted that although supply is sufficient, it is unacceptable for a product priced at Tk 40–50 before Ramadan to suddenly jump to Tk 120. “No one would find this acceptable. We are alert so that the mar-ket does not fall into the hands of a specific group. Effective measures are being taken, but meaningful change will require some time. We hope the public will give us that time,” he added.
The minister said the Commerce Ministry’s responsibility is to keep the import market stable. “The products we import to support and balance the market through TCB are fairly stable. In fact, prices of some items are Tk 15 to 20 lower than last year. This is not my personal claim; statistics support it,” he said.
Responding to a question about the recent incident in which traders allegedly threatened Abdul Jabbar Mondal, head of the Dhaka district office of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, the minister said a case has already been filed and the law is taking its own course.
State Minister Md. Shariful Alam, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Director General of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection Faruk Ahmed, and Additional Secretary IIT Shibir Bichitra Barua were present during the inspection.
Later, the commerce minister visited the country’s largest wholesale kitchen market at Karwan Bazar, where he exchanged views with traders and customers and inquired about the overall market situation.
