Agri minister says lack of public protests means prices of commodities are within reach

Agriculture Minister Abdus Shahid says the lack of public protests suggests that the prices of essential commodities in Bangladesh are manageable, and that is why people are not protesting over the costs.

The minister, flanked by Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder and State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu, spoke to the media at his ministry on Monday after a meeting on controlling prices, reports bdnews24.com.

He also claimed Bangladesh is in a better position than its neighbours are in terms of prices of essential goods, although he did not provide further details on this claim.

“There’s no doubt the situation over product price is at a tolerable level. Otherwise, there would’ve been marches and rallies time and again,” he said.

He expressed confidence in the country's price stability, attributing the lack of protests to the government's effective management.

Shahid added that comparative data on commodities like rice, sugar, garlic, ginger, and onions shows Bangladesh's advantageous pricing relative to its neighbouring countries.

The agriculture minister thinks citizens have “no reason to be disappointed” at food prices.

“The prime minister [Sheikh Hasina] is alert about this issue. She spoke with the state minister for commerce even a day ago [Sunday]. We were together in establishing a fine market system and we’ve agreed to work on this together in future,” he said.

Shahid said the three of them had sat earlier to review the market and sat again with secretaries on Monday.

“We have discussed how the market situation is, the upcoming budget, what the future situation will be,” Shahid said.

When a journalist pointed out that produce was being sold at rates higher than the "reasonable price" set by the Department of Agricultural Marketing, Minister Shahid responded, "The ministry sets a price, but variations can occur due to the supply chain dynamics in the market."

He emphasised that while official prices are set as guidelines, the actual market prices can fluctuate based on supply and demand factors.

Then how can people get products at the government-fixed prices? asked the journalist.

“Please don’t ask questions without proper understanding,” the minister retorted.

Food Minister Sadhan added: “Reasonable price means production price. It changes hands numerous times afterwards.”

A journalist questioned the rationale behind using the absence of protests as an indicator of price tolerance, especially when green chillies are being sold at exorbitant rates, the agriculture minister said: “How many green chillies do you eat? I don't even eat one. I eat half and keep the rest.”

“In the past, if the price went up a little, people took to the streets. Now they are not! You don't need to ask any irrelevant questions. Although I am not a journalist, I know what journalism is.”

State Minister Titu said, "We sat here so that the market can be kept stable. But if you try to find headlines like that, it won't happen."