Govt permits green chilli imports to cool prices

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The government has allowed the import of green chilli to increase supply and cool prices, Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid said today.

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Import activities will begin on August 3, and prices are expected to drop to a tolerable level within two to five days, he said after visiting the Shantinagar kitchen market in the capital.

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir and Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md Abdus Salam were also present.

Green chilli prices doubled in a week and have now crossed Tk 400 a kilogramme amid heavy rainfall-induced crop losses.

The agriculture minister said the import tariff on green chilli would be cut.

Earlier in the day, the commerce minister, the agriculture minister, and State Minister for Food Md Abdul Bari held a meeting at the commerce ministry to review the overall market situation of essential commodities.