Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has called for early preparations to keep the market stable during Ramadan and Eid, stressing that dialogue between businesses and the government must continue from now.
FBCCI Administrator Fazlul Haque made the remarks on Tuesday at a stakeholder consultation organised by the chamber body at its Motijheel office.
"To keep the market for essential commodities stable, we will hold another consultation with businesses by next October, in discussion with the concerned ministries and departments, ahead of Ramadan," Fazlul said.
The meeting brought together businesspeople from various sectors to discuss stock, supply, import and price situations of essential commodities.
Participants placed a range of recommendations before the FBCCI administrator on controlling market conditions and commodity prices.
Fazlul said the recommendations would be reviewed in discussion with relevant ministries and departments before the next steps are taken.
He said the main objective of the FBCCI initiative was to bring stakeholders together to identify problems in the market and find solutions, adding that the participation of both small and large businesses in the meeting was a positive sign.
Noting that demand for daily essentials typically rises ahead of Ramadan and Eid, Fazlul said the chamber body would place the necessary recommendations before the government to ensure ordinary people are not forced to buy goods at excessive prices.
Fazlul further said the FBCCI does not want to carry out mere symbolic activities to control the market, but instead wants to play an effective role by implementing the recommendations given by businesses.
He also flagged concerns that prices of goods might rise following the announcement of a new pay scale for government employees.
He said the government should send out a positive message to allay public fears of price hikes triggered by the pay scale announcement, and urged that the wage increase not be used as an opportunity to destabilise the market.