THIS relates to a report published in a local English-language daily on June 27. Of course, traders will keep the promise not to raise prices beginning from the first of Ramadan, as reported. The prices and the profits that they have planned will be in place before Ramadan starts, still more than three weeks away.
Already chicken and egg prices have climbed up, so will the prices of other food items of daily consumption during Ramadan. The government, as usual, has been short-sighted and simple in their approach.
They are more than welcome to monitor prices of daily necessities since higher Ramadan prices will be in place before the first day of
Ramadan.
Clever traders are far ahead of the game, compared to slow and steady government bureaucrats. Sending
letters to business community requesting them not to make windfall profits during Ramadan is just a waste of time and effort, as the retail
price mechanism is another cup of tea’, in which business houses have only indirect or a masked role to
play.
This is the laughable example of the ‘serious and sincere’ babus trying to outmanoeuvre the cunning traders in their game. Pity the ‘babus’ for their verbose ‘meetings’ and fruitless monitoring. In reality, it will all be much ado about nothing.
SA Mansoor
Dhaka