Finance, commerce and science and technology adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Wednesday said that people should be patient with inflation persisting at a decade high level for the past two years.
The overall inflation declined by one percentage point, said the adviser, referring to the general point-to-point inflation rate that eased at 9.92 per cent in September from 10.49 per cent in August.
鈥榊ou will get relief鈥on鈥檛 be impatient,鈥� said the adviser as he was talking to reporters after a meeting of the advisory committee on government purchase at the Secretariat on the day.
Asked to comment on high prices of essential items in the market, the adviser acknowledged the concerns but emphasised that the government had already taken measures to ease the situation.
He said that they had identified the main causes of inflation.
It would take some time to bring it down as decisions, including reducing the duty on oil and sugar, had already been taken, he said.
He said that supply of essentials would be increased, referring to purchase of lentils and imports of liquefied natural gas and fertilisers.
Noting that inflation was a complex issue with many contributing factors, he remarked that it could not be brought down overnight.
Asked to comment on checking market irregularities, including extortion, Salehuddin Ahmed said that extortion had decreased, but not from all areas.
Replying to another question, he said that egg prices had declined on the day.
In a bid to address the ongoing volatility in the egg market, the commerce ministry granted approval for the import of 40.5 million eggs to seven designated firms after its price went up in the local market.
The advisory committee on government purchase in its meeting on the day approved purchase of one cargo LNG to be supplied by M/S Guvnar Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore at $13.93 per MMBtu (one million British thermal units).
This was the import of the 28th cargo in the current calendar year.
The committee also approved five more proposals, including three for the importing 90,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser from Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Karnuphuli Fertiliser Company Limited, at around Tk 390 crore.
Besides, approvals were given to purchase 10,000 tonnes of lentil with per kilogram at Tk 96.39, and 45 million cycles of tablets under a family planning project at Tk 216 crore.
