It’s agri ministry’s job to fix prices of essential commodities: Commerce minister
Bangladesh sets $100b export target, to be achieved by 2026, says Tipu Munshi
The responsibility of fixing the prices of essential commodities – except edible oil and sugar – lies with the agriculture ministry, says Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.
He said, "We [commerce ministry] can fix the prices of edible oil and sugar [two of the nine government announced essentials]. It is our responsibility.
"But, the agriculture ministry is to fix the prices of the remaining essentials [rice, egg, flour, onion and lentil]. An announcement in this regard should come from them."
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The minister made the remarks during an Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB) press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday.
It was a couple of weeks ago the minister had announced that his ministry will fix the prices of the nine essential commodities [cement and rod included] to ensure economic stability.
The move was opposed by the agriculture ministry right away.
Changing his stance over the matter, Munshi today (17 September) said that a letter concerning the issue will be sent to the agriculture ministry soon.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters about the country's export situation, he said the government has set a target of merchandise export of $100 billion by 2026.
The government is planning to export merchandise goods worth $80 billion by 2024 as a part of the target and will also diversify its export basket, he added.
Stating that around 82% of the national export is RMG-based, the minister said that the government is exploring Asian markets for boosting export and to achieve the target.
Also, special initiatives have been taken to increase the export of some 10 products including ICT, leather, plastic, light engineering, and jute.
"Exports of these products are increasing with every passing day," he added.
