TDS Desk:

Finance and Commerce Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said they had initiated efforts to make the price conditions of essential items more favorable for consumers.

He was talking to the journalists after a meeting with stakeholders from Bangladesh’s poultry sector at the ministry’s conference room on Sunday.

Dr Ahmed emphasised the government’s commitment to addressing market issues.

“There are factors beyond production costs that influence daily commodity prices. In Bangladesh, when prices rise, they tend not to decrease easily—it takes time,” he said.

The adviser acknowledged the challenges but expressed optimism about improving the situation.

Regarding discussions with top poultry sector businessmen, Dr Ahmed revealed that they focused on the current problems and potential solutions for egg and meat producers.

“We aim to minimise the price gap between producers and retailers. We will also address issues related to taxes and tariffs,” he stressed.

When asked about the discrepancy between producer-level prices and retail prices of “sonali” chickens, which are sold for Tk185 per kilogram at the producer level but Tk 240 at the retail market in Dhaka, Dr Ahmed announced that the Directorate of Agricultural Marketing would regularly set prices at a national level.

Additionally, the Consumer Rights and Competition Commission will monitor the market to prevent price manipulation, he added.

The adviser also mentioned that, with the recent decrease in fuel prices, transportation and other related costs should reflect this reduction in product prices.

“If prices rise, they never decrease. But that is not going to work now,” he warned.

On the issue of syndicates in the poultry sector, Dr Ahmed acknowledged that while some may try to sell at higher prices, business through syndication will not be tolerated.

“People will try to slip away like eels, but business cannot be done by syndicate anymore,” he asserted.

Commerce Secretary Mohang Salim Uddin, Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Syed Mahmud Belal Haider, Bangladesh Competition Commission Chairman Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty, Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission Chairman Dr Moinul Khan, and Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) Director General AHM Safikuzzaman, among others, were present at the meeting.