By AKM Moinuddin
Dhaka, Jul 17 (UNB) – Industries Minister Dilip Barua on Saturday hoped that there will be no crisis of sugar in the holy month of Ramadan and sugar price will remain stable during the entire month of fasting.
Import of two consignments of sugar, each having 25,000 tons, has already been finalized and is expected to arrive in the country by mid-Ramadan, he told journalists at his office.
Barua said price of per kg sugar would be fixed between Tk 40 and Tk 45 at the mill gate of state-owned sugar mills so that the price in retail market can be kept within commoners purchasing capacity.
Earlier, on Thursday, Bangladesh Sugar Refiners Association (BSRA) sent a letter to the Industries Minister for fixing the sugar price at Tk 45 per kg at the mill gate as in the last year.
The Industries Minister said the government has planned a buffer stock of 100,000 tons of sugar through domestic and international procurement to meet additional demand and keep price stable during Ramadan.
This time, he said, the state-owned Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) under the Industries Ministry has been given the responsibility to import 50,000 tons of sugar to keep the price stable and the market free from any artificial crisis during month of fasting for the Muslims.
Besides, the corporation would procure another 10,000 tonnes of sugar locally, Barua said. “We’ve already floated tender for procuring sugar from local market. It’ll be opened on July 19.”
Replying to a question, he said that currently the government has a stock of 40,000 tons of sugar.
Asked about the distribution process, the Industries Minister said: “We’ve 4500 dealers under BSFIC across the country. The sugar will be sold by our dealers.”
Bangladesh largely depends on imported sugar to meet its annual demand of 1.4 million tons as the state-run sugar mills can produce only 125,000 tons.
END/UNB/AKM
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