DHAKA, Nov 15, 2019 (BSS) – The Ministry of Commerce today said that sufficient supply of onion in the market will be ensured soon as big shipments of onion will reach the country within a short time by cargo aircrafts and ships.
“Through cargo planes, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is importing onion from Turkey while S Alam Group from Egypt and many other companies from Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates. All procedures have already been completed,” said a press release of the Ministry of Commerce today.
Besides, it said, a big shipment of onion will arrive in Bangladesh soon through the sea route.
It also informed that due to the recent cyclone Bulbul, there was a problem for several days in onion transport in various places, including Teknaf Land Port and Chittagong seaport.
The Ministry of Commerce has taken immediate steps to address this situation and it is expected that enough quantity of onions will come to market within a short time and the prices will return to the normal position.
The release also said that the country’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies are active in this regard.
According to the law enforcement agencies, strict action will be taken against anyone who stocks onion illegally for making huge profits. Several teams from the Ministry of Commerce are working to monitor the market. The National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate (NCRPD) has also launched a campaign. Besides, domestic onion from different places of the country have started coming to market.
Normally, onion is imported from India due to low cost and easy transportation. Due to floods in Maharashtra and other areas of India, onion yields have been greatly affected.
As a result, India fixed the minimum export price (MEP) per metric ton of onion for export a few days ago.
On September 26, the Indian authorities banned onion export. As an alternative, Bangladesh has started importing onion from Myanmar through LC and Border Trade. Onion imports were also started from Egypt and Turkey through LC.
Onion prices have increased recently in Myanmar too. As a result, the impact of onion price in Myanmar has also fallen on the Bangladeshi market.