Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that the prices of essential commodities have come down significantly due to the ongoing fair-price sale of these products by the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.

She said this while responding to a tabled question from ruling party MP Kazim Uddin Ahmed during PM’s question-answer session in Parliament.

She said that prices of the essentials soared significantly all around the world due to the economic slowdown caused by coronavirus pandemic.

 She also mentioned that Russia-Ukraine war pushed up the fuel price too.

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 “As a result, prices of essentials have increased in the world market,” she said.

She, however, said that her pro-people government has taken immediate steps to control the situation and keep the prices under control and at a tolerable level.

“Due to various steps of the government prices of the essentials are now at  logical level,” she said.

She also hoped that prices of the essential items will remain at tolerable and affordable level during the holy month of Ramadan.

The prime minister said that one-litre bottle of soybean oil, selling at Tk 170 on March 1, was available at Tk 161.50 on April 5.

She said during this time the price of loose soybean oil came down to Tk 155 per litre from Tk 175, while the price of palm oil came down to Tk 142 per litre from Tk 158.

But the TCB during this time sold bottled soybean at Tk 110 per litre, she said.

The Leader of the House mentioned that lentil price came down to Tk 112.50 on April 5 from Tk 120 while TCB was selling at Tk 65 per kilogram.

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Loose sugar was Tk 85 per kilogram on March 1 while it was Tk 78 on April 5. TCB is selling at the price Tk 55 per kilogram, she added.

 Hasina said that the price of chickpeas was selling at Tk 72.50 on April 5 while it was Tk 77 on March 1. TCB is selling this item at Tk 50 per kilogram.

Regarding onion price, she said, on March 1 it was selling at Tk 60 per kilogram, while on April 5 the price fell to Tk 31.50. The TCB is selling it at Tk 20 per kilogram.