Govt moves to rationalise bottled drinking water prices

The government is considering rationalising bottled drinking water prices at the consumers' levels amid its soaring prices in the domestic market, sources said.

To this effect, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has asked the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) to submit a report to it, suggesting as to how the bottled water can be brought to the tolerable levels for consumers.

With a view to prepare the detail report, the BTTC has already formed a high-powered research panel, officials said.

The three-member team is to review market prices of bottled drinking water, especially at the retail levels.

It is also supposed to review the existing supply and production costs of the available brands of bottled dinging waters in the market.

The team has also been tasked be review the amount of revenue that the government is receiving from bottled water and suggest necessary policy recommendations in this connection.

The committee, if needed, will visit the main bottled-water producing factories across the country.

When contacted, a senior official at the commerce ministry said: "We have received complaints from a section of consumers that some brands of bottled water are selling at much higher prices in the market, affecting them (consumers).

With an eye to easing prices pressure from the customers, the commerce ministry took the decision to rationalise prices of the same.

Prices of different brands of bottled mineral-water have increased sharply in the market, making the item almost beyond the reach of the common people, according to consumers and retailers.

"Sales representatives of some water companies are showing various excuses for the price hike of their life-saving items," Rafiq Ahmed, a grocer at Shantinogarbazar, told the FE.

"We often face hassle to bargain with the customers while selling bottled mineral water following its price hike," he said.

Presently, a 500-milliliter (ML) of bottled mineral water is sold at Tk 20 and ate the retail levels while that of 1000-Ml one is Tk 30, according to market sources.

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