Price of essentials: Commerce Ministry to introduce app for real-time monitoring

The Commerce Ministry of the Government of Bangladesh has recently decided to launch a real-time app for monitoring the import, production, and marketing of essential commodities to keep their prices stable.

AHM Shafiquzzaman, Director General of Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection (DNCRP) and additional secretary of the Commerce Ministry recently announced the decision at a seminar on monitoring market and prices during Ramadan at Chattogram.

He said the government is strictly monitoring all levels aiming to keep the supply normal and prices stable. "Monitoring at mill level has also been strengthened," he added.

The DNCRP DG said if the Chattogram port and Khatunganj wholesale market work normally no problem should arise regarding the supply and prices of goods.

The business representatives at the meeting said that the government should keep the supply chain from millers to wholesale and retail level uninterrupted to keep the supply of goods, stocks and prices normal, market monitoring should be continued, price list of sales and purchases should be displayed in every store, transportation of goods should be kept uninterrupted.

They said necessary steps like removal of 13 tons obligation on Dhaka-Chattogram highway, adjustment of tariff in case of increase in the price of goods in international market, adjustment in case of increase in value of dollar, removal of complication in issuing of Import Permit (IP), no excessive penalty for mistake in will also have to be taken including rational determination of dividends at import, miller, wholesale and retail level.