The government has permitted the import of potatoes and onions to stabilise the market, State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu said on Saturday.
"Traders can now import onions and potatoes from any country they choose," said the state minister at a press briefing at the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka.
Ahsanul Islam Titu said, "The government is attempting to import onions from India as prices have been rising. However, the process is taking time due to the recent change in the Indian government."
He also added that discussions are underway with Brazil regarding edible oil imports.
The minister said the Ministry of Commerce would take measures to prevent anyone from exploiting adverse weather conditions to create an abnormal market situation.
Highlighting a shift in focus from the garment sector, the state minister said the government is placing greater importance on agriculture and the leather industry to reduce dependency on garments. The goal is to eliminate unemployment in the country, he added.
Addressing concerns about export data, the minister clarified that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) calculates export figures, while the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) only publishes them. Moving forward, the EPB's statistics division will work directly with relevant exporters to avoid future discrepancies. He also called for separate analyses of data from Bangladesh Bank, the NBR, and the EPB to ensure accurate primary information for export and import activities.
