TDS Desk

The government on Tuesday (15 October) started selling eggs, potatoes, onions and vegetables at affordable prices under its Open Market Sale (OMS) programme, to give some relief to the fixed-income group people, for the first time at 20 locations around Dhaka city.

According to the agriculture ministry, potatoes will be sold at Tk30 per kg, eggs at Tk130 per dozen, onions at Tk70 per kg and vegetables will cost customers at least 20-30% less than the current rates in the kitchen markets across the capital.

The Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) is buying these perishable items and vegetables directly from farmers and selling them at subsidised prices at the designated spots across the city as part of a pilot project under the OMS programme.

Agriculture Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Commerce Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Commerce Secretary Md Selim Uddin and Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian attended the OMS inauguration ceremony at the Directorate General of Food this morning.

Agriculture ministry officials said that 20 locations have been fixed for selling the items for the next two weeks and if the pilot project is successful, the number of selling points and days would be increased.

The decision was made at a special meeting between the interim government’s Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and several other advisers at the chief adviser’s official residence on 13 October, according to the agriculture ministry.

DAM, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation are providing the necessary support to implement the decision.