34,000 tonnes of potatoes to be imported from India, in move to lower price

Aiming to rein in the runaway price of potatoes, the government has approved the import of 34,000 tonnes of potatoes through the Hili land port from India.

Yusuf Ali, deputy assistant officer of the Plant Contamination Control Centre at Hili land port, told UNB that the government has decided to import potatoes to rein in the soaring price of the vegetable.

A total of 49 traders will be able to start importing the potatoes from Saturday or Sunday, he added.

Shahidul Islam, one of the approved traders, said potatoes are being sold for Tk40-45 per kg at the retail level, which is abnormally high for this time of year. Considering the current situation, the government decided to allow imports to gain some control over the price ahead of Ramadan.

He also hoped that the price of potatoes would come down once the potatoes from India arrived in the markets.