Enough onion in stock; nothing to worry about: Minister

Commerce minister Tipu Munshi
File Photo

Commerce minister Tipu Munshi on Monday said there is adequate stock of onion in the country and there is no reason to worry about it.

"The supply of onions is normal as we've some 500,000 tonnes in stock. Besides, onions are being imported from India and Myanmar," he said while addressing a meeting held at the Secretariat.

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is selling onions at Tk 30 per kg through trucks and new onions will reach the markets after a month, said Tipu.

The commerce ministry and directorate of national consumer rights protection are monitoring the markets regularly, he said.

Tipu also urged the traders to run their business with honesty and sincerity.

Mentioning that the government has taken necessary steps to keep the onion price stable, the minister said action will be taken if anyone found involved in raising the onion price by creating an artificial crisis.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry has urged the National Board of Revenue to withdraw customs duty on onion import, aiming to keep its price stable in the market.

The ministry also urged the NBR to slash import duties on crude soybean oil, palm oil and sugar to cool the overheated domestic market.