Local administration failed to suppress syndicates to control potato prices: Agriculture Minister

The reason for the increase in the price of potatoes is that the syndicate is not able to control it completely. The Minister of Agriculture said that even if the local administration worked to control the syndicate, it could not be successful. Abdur Razzaq. He said, there was no reason for the price of potatoes to increase so much. Even though the government fixed the prices and supervised them at the district level, it was not possible to completely de-syndicate. As a result, the price has increased a lot.

He said this in his speech as the chief guest at the inauguration and seminar of the new Press Building and Dhaka Regional Office of Agricultural Information Service at Khamarbari in the capital on Tuesday. The minister said that the production of potatoes has decreased this year. Because last year potato farmers did not get fair price. Due to which they have increased mustard cultivation. And the government has worked to control the syndicate through the local administration but has not been completely successful there. The syndicate cycle has inflated the prices.

He said, currently import of potatoes is allowed. These potatoes have started coming to the country. Hopefully the price will come down within 15 days. Apart from that, new potatoes will be available in the market within a month. Human suffering will decrease. We are sorry that people have suffered due to price increase earlier.

Under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ruhul Amin Talukder, Director General of Agriculture Extension Department, Badal Chandra Biswas, Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, was the special guest. Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar, Director of Agricultural Information Service presented the keynote at the seminar. Surjit Saha Roy and Chief Information Officer BM Rashedul Alam delivered the welcome speech.

BD-Daily/Shafiq