Industries minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Tuesday in parliament claimed the onion prices came under control.
‘I believe the onion market, which went beyond control, has now come under control,’ the minister said in absence of commerce minister Tipu Mushi while responding to a supplementary question from Bangladesh Nationalist Party MP M Zahidur Rahman.
Nurul Majid said onion market became hot due to flash flood in India and the country stopped onion export to Bangladesh.
‘But we brought the situation came under control quickly through importing onion from Myanmar and Turkey,’ he said.
The industries minister said this was lean period for onion and crisis of onion usually prevails at this time.
‘Our local onion is yet to hit the market, but it will come in the market within few days,’ he said.
The minister said the government was launching mobile courts in district and upazilas level across the country to prevent selling of onion at high price.
Besides, the minister said, Directorate of Consumer Rights Protection and other government agencies were monitoring markets across the country.
Replying to a question from Awami League MP Anwer Hossain Khan, he said the annual demand of onion in the country is 24 lakh tonnes, while the country produces 23.31 lakh tonnes.
‘Of the produced amount, 30 per cent get damaged during collection and preservation. That means, the total amount stands 16.31 lakh tonnes. The deficit of the onion is met up through importing from India,’ he added.
The minister said due to the flood in Maharashtra of India, onion production damaged seriously. For that the export price rose to $850 from $ 250-300. ‘Later, they stopped exporting onion to Bangladesh as the price shoot up abnormally and it contributed to increase of onion price in Bangladesh,’ he said.
The minister said the government started selling onion in the open market through Trading Corporation of Bangladesh to control the onion market.
The onion was retailing at around Tk150 a kilogram on Tuesday in Dhaka.-New Age
