Ahsanul Islam Titu, the state minister for commerce, announced today that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved a reduction in the import duty on necessities.
“We’ve challenges centering the ensuing month of Ramadan and we’ve taken notable steps to address those. We’ve to import 90 percent of the total domestic demand for edible oil and sugar. The Prime Minister has given consent for lowering import duty following our proposals.
In order to help consumers throughout the month of Ramadan, maybe the NBR will shortly reduce the import tariff at a reasonable rate,” he stated.
Speaking at the ‘BCCCI-ERF Journalism Award’ ceremony today, which took place at a hotel in the city, the state minister made these remarks. The journalists who submitted the finest reporting across five categories were awarded the prize.
The event was moderated by ERF general secretary Abul Kashem, under the direction of president Refayet Ullah Mirdha.
FBCCI president Mahbubul Alam, Minister Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission of Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh Yan Hualong, Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) president Gazi Golam Mortuza and general secretary Al Mamun Mirdha spoke on the occasion.
The state minister said the current stockpile of rice in the country is around 18 lakh metric tons and this is sufficient for the country compared to its demand.
Noting that the supply of essential items during the Month of Ramadan would remain uninterrupted, Ahsanul said it is now high time to work on the fine tuning of the supply chain starting from producers, manufactures to importers, wholesalers and retailers. “The consumers will get essentials at fair prices if the initiative becomes successful,” he added.
Mentioning that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already made coordination among the Ministries of Commerce, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, he said that the Ministry of Commerce does not work on production, import, and export, rather work on policy issues.
“All related to supply chain should have to be brought into a single platform to establish the rights of the consumers through a nice policy,”
In reference to the matter of importing sugar and onions from India, Ahsanul stated that his Indian counterpart has promised to streamline the procedure for bringing in these necessary goods.
According to the state minister, the government-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) supplies basic necessities to one crore families annually, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. He went on to say that sugar and onions would be imported from India, which would have a favorable effect.
Apart from the TCB, Ahsanul said the government also wants to ensure smooth supply chain through ensuring additional supply.
FBCCI president Mahbubul Alam said that the country’s economy is moving ahead and will continue to move.
“If all concerned work in a concentrated way, then it will be possible to build a nice country,” he added.
In addition, the head of the nation’s top trade organization promised that the FBCCI will offer Chinese investors every kind of assistance should they choose to make investments in Bangladesh.
