Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the people of the country to refrain from buying excessive goods (panic buying), as the country has adequate stock of food grains.

The prime minister said this while talking to reporters after casting her vote in the by-polls to Dhaka-10 constituency at Dhaka City College on Saturday morning, reports BSS.

The prime minister said there should be a strong vigilance both from the authorities concerned and the people so that none can hoard essential goods cashing on the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“Hiking the price of essential commodities by excessive unnecessary purchasing after being panicked is a ‘garhita’ (reproachable) act, all will have to abstain from it,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, said: “We are observing that being frightened, some people are storing foods after purchasing those excessively.”

“But I want to clearly say we have no problem of foods, we have adequate stock of food grains. So there is no need to buy excessive goods after being panicked.”

The premier said she has already held meetings with the finance minister, finance secretary and the Bangladesh Bank governor in this regard.

“We have an ability to purchase foods for the next one year through the reserve we have. So there is no reason to be worried to this end,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said there are 1.7 million metric tons of food grains in the government warehouses apart from 350,000MT wheat.

“Besides there are huge quantities of food grains in the private rice mills, as well. So I would like to request all to buy goods (essential) that are necessary for them,” she said.