Staff Reporter :
The Consumer Rights Protection Organization, CCS (Consumers’ Care Society), formed human chain protests in 10 districts across Bangladesh in response to the artificial price hike and supply manipulation by potato syndicates. The protest aimed to raise awareness about the ongoing exploitation of consumers by traders, stockpilers, and cold storage owners who have been artificially inflating the price of potatoes.
Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser said that the government is actively working to curb the rising prices of essential commodities.
Alam emphasized that while prices for many essentials are on a downward trend, significant efforts are underway to bring down costs further.
Alam highlighted that the price of eggs had recently decreased due to government intervention. He also mentioned that the prices of other essential goods were on a downward trajectory, signaling the government’s success in its efforts to stabilize the market.
In response to media reports claiming that the price of potatoes had risen to Tk 400, Alam clarified that this was an isolated incident. He dismissed the reports as misleading, noting that such price fluctuations were not reflective of the overall market situation.
From late February to March, stockpilers and cold storage operators began collecting potatoes, storing them in cold storage facilities. During this period, the purchase price of potatoes ranged between 18 to 20 BDT per kilogram. The cost of storing potatoes in cold storage varied by region, with the cost for a 60 kg sack ranging from 180 to 340 BDT.
However, it has been reported that a group of stockpilers, traders, middlemen (mostly operating without trade licenses), and cold storage managers or owners have been involved in artificially inflating the price of potatoes.