Govt agencies working to bring down commodity prices to reasonable level: Titu

Prices of essential commodities will come down to a reasonable level as all agencies concerned are working towards that end, State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu said today (17 March).

"The Department of Agricultural Marketing has fixed the prices of the goods. This department has its own district-, upazila- and central-level committees. As we monitor the market, we will coordinate in this regard," he told reporters after a discussion programme organised to mark the 104th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the TCB Bhaban in the capital.

"Our responsibility will be to monitor the market from the producer level to wholesale and retail levels," he added.

Stating that there is coordination in commodity price control, the state minister said, "When you determine something at a reasonable level, you cannot implement it immediately.

"It was important to determine this first. The law was there for a long time but was not implemented. We will now coordinate with the Department of Agricultural Marketing, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, deputy commissioners, and upazila nirbahi officers.

"Hopefully it [commodity] will come down to a reasonable level."

Ahsanul Islam Titu further said, "We are holding meetings with the market committee and traders everywhere. We are encouraging them. We are implementing it [reasonable goods price] by solving their problems."

The state minister said the authorities are not shutting down stores or shops.

The Department of Agricultural Marketing fixed prices of 29 essential agricultural products, including onion, broiler chicken, mutton, beef, and eggplant, at retail, wholesale, producer and production levels amid surging price hikes on Friday.