Onion price: Govt orders to enhance market monitoring at field level

The government has ordered the concerned people to enhance surveillance at the field level as the price of onion has increased exorbitantly.

The order further stated to try to bring to book the traders who have been trying to make a huge profit from this price hike

Cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain told this to the media at a press conference organised on Monday afternoon to disclose the decisions taken at a cabinet meeting in the morning.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting at her office (PMO).

Mahbub Hossain also informed the media that the issue was not in the agenda of today’s cabinet meeting.

The onion price has increased abnormally following the decision of India not to export the kitchen item.

In this context, the newspersons asked the cabinet secretary whether there was any special directive about the onion price from today’s cabinet meeting.

Mahbub Hossain said directives about the onion were issued separately, not from the cabinet meeting. This is the task of the concerned ministry. “You are already seeing the market is being monitored closely at the field level. An impact of that was found today (Monday). The tendency (price hike) that was seen yesterday (Sunday) was not seen today.”

Asked about the specific directives, the cabinet secretary said, “The government issued directives about enhancing monitoring the markets. Increase surveillance on the people who are involved with these tasks (hoarding and making more profits) and try to bring them, who are attempting to make more profits, to book. Our field levels teams have started working upon receiving the directives.”

The cabinet secretary was asked whether this decision was taken from the cabinet meeting or outside of it.

He responded to the question saying, “This decision was not in the agenda of the cabinet meeting. This is a general administrative issue. When a crisis appears, we take the decisions upon discussing with the people of the concerned ministry. No discussion on this took place today as the works have already started.”