After the stoppage of onion exports from India, the alternative is now Myanmar. Onions coming from Burma are being used to meet demand. Exploiting the situation, an unethical group has increased the price of onions and therefore, onions imported for Tk 42 is being sold for Tk 90 to Tk 110.
Chattogram Executive Magistrate Touhidul Islam has said that a 15 member cartel involving importer, hoarder and C&F agents are linked to this nefarious operation.
He said on Monday (Nov 4): “For selling onions at double the price, we carried out a drive at Khatunganj and came to know of a syndicate; these people are bringing onions at a low cost from Myanmar and forcing the hoarders to sell at high rates.”
“We have a list of the syndicate members: three are from Chattogram while the others are from Cox’s Bazar.”
Deputy Secretary of the commerce ministry Selim Hossain has given the list to Cox’s Bazar district administration with advice to carry out drives to break the cartel, added magistrate Touhidul.
Owner of Shakil Traders in Teknaf, Abdul Khalek, said: “Exporters in Myanmar keep an eye on the onion market in Bangladesh and they manipulate the onion stocks, selling them at high rates.”
General Secretary of Teknaf C&F Association Ehteshamul Huq Bahadur, added: “The price of imported onions from Myanmar is normal; at the beginning, the import cost of per kg of onions was Tk 35 to Tk 37 and now each kg is imported for Tk 42 to Tk 45.”
After India stopped exports, a total of 25,500 tonnes were imported with 500 to 600 tonnes every day. With a rise in demand, 1,535 tonnes are being imported now.