The super shops across the country are taking around 30 per cent higher prices of rice after packaging those compared to the same loose rice of kitchen market.
The impact of charging higher price for packaged rice is also putting on the loose rice being sold in the groceries and kitchen market.
As a result, the price of rice has increased in the market while the super shops are making hefty profits in selling other commodities like sugar and salt.
These findings came from a recent review of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection.
Director General of the Directorate AHM Shafiquzzaman said this while exchanging views with the super shop owners and representatives of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) held at the head office of the Directorate in the capital's Kawranbazar area today.
He also said that necessary action would be taken to address the dissimilarities in the price of loose and packaged products including rice.
The findings of the directorate showed that the loose Miniket rice is being sold at Taka 68 per kg in the kitchen market whereas the super shops are making 14 to 33 percent profit in such packaged rice. In case of Chinigura rice, their profit ranges from 21 to 29 percent, in salt the profit shoots up to 28 percent while in case of Hilsha Fish the profit reaches up to 27 percent.
Alleging that the super shops have a role in fueling the price of commodities and essentials, the Director General said that the intelligence agencies are working to detect which super shops are making excessive profits in which items.
Noting that the consumers are being cheated in the name of buying Miniket rice, the Director General said such incidents of cheat should have to be stopped. He also said that such rice would be vanished from the market if all people start to consume coarse rice.
In response to the allegations, the super shop owners said that they do not fix the maximum retail price of the packaged items rather the marketing brands fix those. So, they have no liability in this regard and they are making profit as per the rules, the super shop owners claimed.
Meanwhile, the Directorate convened another view-exchange meeting tomorrow where the producers and marketing firm representatives of various consumer items like soap, detergent, toothpaste and liquid cleaner would remain present.
