Ramadan
Beef price higher by upto Tk 50 per kg in a month
The price of beef increased by upto Tk 50 per kg in a month, ahead of Shab-e-Barat and Ramadan on claims of supply shortage.
In this regard, Golam Murtaza, President of the Bangladesh Meat Traders Association, told UNB that now the farmers are not willing to sell cows at present in the hope of getting better prices during Ramadan and Eid.
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“Due to this supply crisis, the price of cattle has increased slightly in the market. It has also affected the price of meat,” he said.
On Tuesday, after visiting Karwan Bazar, Moghbazar, and Rampura kitchen markets of the capital and talking with meat traders, the correspondent learned that most of the butchers are selling beef at Tk 720 to Tk 750 per kg.
Even in the last week of January, the consumers were able to buy beef within Tk 700 per kg. Accordingly, the market price has increased by at least Tk50 per kg in the last two weeks.
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Towards the end of 2023, beef prices suddenly started to fall. At that time, meat traders in Dhaka sold beef at Tk600 per kg.
Some traders are suffering loss, because of this, the traders set the price of beef at a maximum of Tk 650 per kg. This rate was continued in some areas of Dhaka till election day January 7.
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The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) also said that beef is being sold at Tk 700 to Tk 750 per kg. The price of beef has increased by Tk 50 per kg in the last one month.
According to TCB calculations, beef prices have increased compared to last year. At this time last year, beef was sold at Tk 700 to Tk 720 per kg.
Bangladesh seeks to import more onion and sugar from India before Ramadan
Bangladesh has sought India's support in supplying essential commodities, specially onion from India ahead of the holy month of Ramadan in an effort to keep prices of the essentials stable.
"We discussed the import of perishable items from India. We have discussed in detail so that we get 50 thousand tons of onion and 1 lakh tons of sugar before Ramadan," Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud told reporters after his meeting with India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday.
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The foreign minister mentioned that the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina begins a fresh journey with new mandates, and one of the priorities of the government is to address the prices of essential commodities.
Hasan requested Goyal to take necessary measures in ensuring uninterrupted supply of the essential commodities to Bangladesh till Ramadan.
Goyal said India is committed to ensuring the economic and financial stability in Bangladesh.
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He assured of accommodating the request of Bangladesh foreign minister for supplying essential commodities.
The Indian minister stressed on further improving the trade and commerce relation between the two countries.
Hasan requested Goyal to remove tariff and non-tariff barriers on export products of Bangladesh and to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to Bangladesh especially during the month of Ramadan to maintain price stability.
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He is expected to attend a civic reception in Kolkata at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission to becparticipated by a large number of diplomats, said a senior official accompanying the minister.
Members of think-tank and media based in Kolkata will also attend.
The foreign minister will return to Dhaka Friday night.
Govt cut VAT, duty on import of 4 essential items ahead of Ramadan
The government has reduced VAT and duty on import of rice, edible oil, sugar, and dates ahead of holy month of Ramadan.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued four gazette notifications reducing the customs duties on these essential items from a minimum of 5 percent to a maximum of 47 percent.
According to the notifications, rice import duty and tax have been reduced by 47.25 percent. The duty has been reduced from 62.50 percent to 15.25 percent. Out of this, supplementary duty has been cut by 20 percent.
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This tax reduction will be applicablein the import of boiled and non-boiled rice.
However, prior to importing rice at subsidized rates, written approval must be taken from an official of minimum joint secretary rank of the Ministry of Food for each shipment. The tax reduction facility will be valid till May 15, 2024.
On the other hand, the Value Added Tax on refined and crude (non-refined) soybean and palm oil has been reduced to 10 percent from 15 percent, which will be in force till April 15.
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For sugar import, the fixed duty has been reduced from Tk 1,500 to Tk 1,000 per metric ton. This facility will be valid till March 31 as per NBR notification.
Besides, the import duty on date has been reduced from 58 percent to 43 percent.. It will remain in force till March 30.
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In the cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister's office on January 29, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered reduction of duty on edible oil, sugar, dates, and rice on the occasion of Ramadan.
On January 22, the Ministry of Commerce wrote to National Board of Revenue (NBR) to exempt tax on rice, edible oil, sugar, and dates.
S Alam Group to import 12 lakh MT of daily essentials for Ramadan
S Alam Group will import 12 lakh metric tonnes of daily essentials to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential consumer goods and to keep prices affordable for the month of Ramadan.
With an investment of more than hundreds of millions of dollars, the effort accounts for approximately 50 percent of the nation's total food demand for Ramadan. sugar, edible oil, wheat, lentils, and chickpeas are among the imported products, according to a press release.
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S. Alam Group fulfills 30, 20 and 35 percent of the current domestic market demand of oil, wheat and sugar respectively. The company is working diligently to increase the supply to 50 percent this year. Like previous years, S Alam Group has taken initiatives to import huge volume of daily necessities during Ramadan to benefit the mass people, it said.
The country's annual sugar demand is 24 lakh MT, with the month of Ramadan alone accounting for 2.72 lakh MT. S Alam Group is importing 641,300 MT of sugar, which is more than twice the demand during Ramadan, the release also said.
The yearly demand for edible oil in Bangladesh is about 22 lakh metric tons. Out of which, three lakh metric ton is demanded during Ramadan. S. Alam Group is importing 2 lakh 58 thousand metric tons of edible oil, 86 percent of the demand during Ramadan, to ensure market stability, it also said.
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The annual demand of wheat in the country's market is about 63 lakh metric tons (excluding domestic production). Consumers require about five lakh 28 thousand metric tons of wheat every month. S Alam Group is importing One lakh 78 thousand metric tons of wheat, 34 percent of the demand during Ramadan, to ensure market stability.
Bangladesh’s demand for lentils stands at six lakh tons annually, with a monthly requirement of 50 thousand tons. The demand for lentils surge during Ramadan, reaching one lakh tons. S. Alam Group is importing 50 thousand metric tons of lentils, meeting 50 percent of the demand during Ramadan.
Similarly, annual chickpea demand is one lakh 36 thousand metric tons, with demand during Ramadan standing at 91 thousand metric tons. S. Alam Group is importing 50 thousand metric tons of chickpeas during Ramadan, covering 55 percent of the demand during Ramadan.
The company is optimistic that these proactive measures will contribute to maintaining affordable prices in the country's market during the Ramadan season, ensuring accessibility for the general populace.
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“We have once again undertaken the proactive step of importing essential products in large quantity to meet the overall demand during Ramadan. Some of these imported items are in stock, while several shipments are awaiting clearance. Our commitment aligns with the government's objective of ensuring affordability for the people during Ramadan. In the event of any shortages during the Holy month, we remain prepared to take further measures to import additional products.”
Muslims around the world consider climate during Ramadan
In the heart of Jakarta, the grand Istiqlal Mosque was built with a vision for it to stand for a thousand years.
The mosque was conceived by Soekarno, Indonesia’s founding father, and was designed as an impressive symbol for the country's independence. Its seven gates — representing the seven heavens in Islam — welcome visitors from across the archipelago and the world into the mosque's lofty interior.
But they don't just see the light here. It fuels them.
A major renovation in 2019 installed upwards of 500 solar panels on the mosque's expansive roof, now a major and clean source of Istiqlal's electricity. And this Ramadan, the mosque has encouraged an energy waqf — a type of donation in Islam that continues to bear fruit over time — to grow its capacity to make renewable power.
Her Pramtama, deputy head of the Ri’ayah — or building management — division of Istiqlal Mosque, hopes that Islam's holiest month, when the faithful flock to mosques in greater numbers, can provide momentum to Istiqlal's solar project through donations.
The mosque's climate push is just one example of different “Green Ramadan” initiatives in Indonesia and around the world that promote an array of changes during the Muslim holy month, which has fasting and, in many cases, feasting elements as people gather to break their fasts.
In a month where restraint and charity are emphasized, recommendations can include using less water while performing the ritual washing before prayers, replacing plastic bottles and cutlery during community iftars with reusable ones and reducing food waste. Other suggestions include carpooling to mosques, using local produce, emphasizing recycling and using donations to fund clean energy projects.
For the world to limit the effects of climate change — which is already causing worsening droughts, floods and heat waves — the use of dirty fuels for electricity and transport, petrochemicals to make products like plastics and the emissions from food waste in landfills all need to be drastically slashed, scientists say. Though individual initiatives are just a small part of that transition, experts say growing momentum behind climate goals can have an effect.
Groups taking an Islamic-based approach often highlight environmental understandings of certain Quranic verses and sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad about the earth, water and against wastefulness.
Last year, at a meeting of the Muslim Congress for Sustainable Indonesia, the country’s vice president Ma’ruf Amin called on clerics and community leaders “to play an active role in conveying issues related to environmental damage” and asked for concrete action on climate change including through donations to solar projects like those at Istiqlal Mosque.
Muhammad Ali Yusuf, a board member at the faith-based Nahdlatul Ulama’s Institution for Disaster Management and Climate Change in Indonesia, said spreading awareness about clean energy is a “shared responsibility” for Muslims, where mosques' own solar panel installations can be catalysts toward a greater transition.
In the United States and Canada, environmental groups that began springing up in Muslim communities in the mid-2000s independently from one another formed “green Muslim understandings” from within their religious traditions, according to Imam Saffet Catovic, a U.S. Muslim community environmental activist.
“In some cases, the mosques were receptive to it,” he said. In others, mosque leaders, “didn’t fully understand” the drive, he added.
Ramadan offers a “possibility for ecological training that’s unique to the Muslim community,” Catovic said. “Thirty days allow someone to change their habits."
The Islamic Society of North America website calls on Muslims to be “an eco-friendly community”, saying looking after the environment is “based upon the premise that Islam has ordained us to be the stewards and protectors of this planet.”
Some mosques and Muslims around the world are heeding such calls, one small step at a time.
Ahead of Ramadan this year, the mosque at Al Ma’hadul Islamic Boarding School in Indonesia received solar panels through Islamic donations, supplying enough energy for the mosque's entire needs. The electricity from the solar panels also lights up schools and roads in the vicinity.
The Nizamiye Mosque in Johannesburg, South Africa, with its towering minarets and spacious interior, has a roof dotted with domes and solar panels that help keep the power on at the mosque and its surrounding schools, clinic and bazaar.
The 143 panels cover over a third of the complex's energy use in a country that has struggled in recent years to provide enough electricity through its strained grid.
In Edison, New Jersey, Masjid Al-Wali¸ a mosque and community center, has been adopting changes such as selling reusable water bottles to members at cost and installing more water coolers to discourage the use of disposable plastic bottles, said board member Akil Mansuri.
“Preserving the environment is the Islamically right thing to do,” Mansuri said. “People accept the message, but adoption is always slower.”
Several years ago, Masjid Al-Wali, whose activities include an Islamic school and monthly community dinners, installed solar panels.
Meals this Ramadan for the mosque’s community iftars come in plastic pre-packaged boxes for now, Mansuri said. But mosque leaders encourage members to take leftovers and reuse the boxes, instead of throwing them away, he said, adding he hopes alternatives can be found next Ramadan.
In the United Kingdom, Projects Against Plastic, a Bristol-based charity, is leading a plastic-free Ramadan campaign.
“I feel like, as a Muslim, that mosques are the hub of the communities and they should take a little bit more leading role for sustainability and toward recycling,” PAP founder Naseem Talukdar said. “During the month of Ramadan is where I’ve really seen a ridiculous amount of plastic being used and thrown away.”
Mosques are urged to raise awareness on plastic pollution and reduce reliance on single-use plastic. Seven Bristol mosques participated in a pilot project last year, with varying results, and a national campaign, with more than 20 participating mosques, was rolled out this year.
Besides education, another challenge is when mosques don’t have enough funds to buy reusable cutlery, dishwashers and water fountains.
“We knew we were going to hit some hard walls and some pushbacks, but, to be honest, the engagement that we’ve seen so far, it was a little overwhelming,” Talukdar said. “Even though the progress is slow, but there’s a real appetite for this kind of initiative within the mosque."
Ummah for Earth, an alliance-led initiative that aims to empower Muslim communities facing climate change, is urging people to pledge to adopt one eco-friendly practice during Ramadan. Options include asking an imam to address environmental issues, donating to environmental charities and shopping sustainably.
“Many Muslims are not aware that there are environmental teachings in the Quran and the sayings of the prophet and that they have a role that they can play to protect the planet,” said Nouhad Awwad, Beirut-based campaigner and global outreach coordinator for the Ummah for Earth project at Greenpeace MENA.
As they work to raise awareness, campaigners often encounter the argument that climate change is “destined” and that “you cannot change God’s destiny,” Awwad said.
“We’re trying to change the narrative,” she said. “We have things that we can do on an individual level, on a community level and on a political level.”
Minimum Fitra fixed at Tk 115 per person
This year (2023), the minimum Fitra has been fixed at Tk 115 per person while the maximum is Tk 2,640.
Fitra is an obligatory charity distributed to the poor at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
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The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Fitra Fixing Committee held on Sunday (April 02, 2023), chaired by the committee's head and Baitul Mukarram National Mosque’s Khatib Hafez Maulana Mufti Mohammad Ruhul Amin.
The rate of Fitra is fixed on the basis of market prices of flour, dates, cheese, raisins and some other essentials.
Fitra is paid to the poor before the jamaat (congregation) of Eid-ul-Fitr.
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Saudi ministry urges pilgrims to limit Umrah once during Ramadan
The Hajj and Umrah Ministry of Saudi Arabia has recommended pilgrims to perform Umrah just once during the holy month of Ramadan.
To avoid crowding and guarantee that pilgrims have a simple and straightforward travel to the sites, the ministry recommended Muslims to undertake Umrah just once throughout the holy month, reports Al Arabiya.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Saudi officials were concerned about overcrowding at the holy sites because they wanted to make sure that travelers were safe at all times, it said.
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The Nusuk app allows Muslims from all over the world to apply to participate in the pilgrimage and plan their whole trip there, including applying for a eVisa and arranging accommodations and flights, the report also said.
Except for during Hajj, any period of the year is permissible for Muslims to go to Makkah to perform Umrah.
Many people aspire to do Umrah during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
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Healthy Sehri Meal Recipes for Ramadan Fasting
The holy month of Ramadan is here and the Muslims have started month-long fasting. It is essential to take healthy foods and drinks at sehri, or sahur, as it is the meal that stores energy for long hours and helps continue the fast. Therefore, it is recommended to consume the right foods at Sehri to get the required nutrients for the body. Let’s take a look at 7 nutrient-rich sehri meal recipes for a healthy start to one’s Ramadan fasting.
7 Nutritous Seheri Meal Recipes for Ramadan Fasting
Fruit Cube Salad Recipe
Fruit cube salad is only eye-catching to look at but it is delicious, healthy and a creative recipe also.
Ingredients ½ kg watermelon, 2 large bananas, 1 pineapple, 1 large apple, ¼ cup marshmallow
For garnishing
mint leaves, crushed nuts, sesame seeds, and cinnamon
InstructionsFirst, wash the fruits, peel them off, and cut them into cubes. Make sure you use a sharp knife for the fruits. Marshmallows will add a soft texture (sweetness) to the finished cube. The cubes will be around 2.5cm each. This step is a little bit tricky but cutting well-shaped cubes is what makes the whole cube work well.
Make one row consisting of three alternating cubes so that no adjacent cubes are the same fruit and the base will have four sides of three cubes on each side. To complete the cube, make two more layers (same). Top with a mint leaf, crushed nuts, sesame seeds, and cinnamon. Enjoy the amazing fruit cube salad.
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Chicken Kebab Recipe
Ingredients 300 gms chicken mince, 50 gms onion, 50 gms tomatoes, 30 gms coriander leaves, 50 gms green capsicum, 20 gms green chilli, 5 gms salt, 20 ml oil, 20 gms cashew, 20 gms almonds, 10 gms mint, 5 gms red chilli powder, five gms masala powder, 5 gms ginger garlic paste, 3 gms cumin powder, 10 ml lemon juice, 10 ml fresh cream, 5 ml kewra water
InstructionsFirst, take a blender and put mince chicken, onion, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, lemon juice, coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilies, fresh cream, kewra water, cashew, and almonds and blend nicely.
Put the mince mix on wooden skewers. Now chopped onion, capsicum, and coriander leaves on a plate. Enclose these chopped vegetables around the kebabs and bake them in the oven at 180 degrees for eight to ten minutes. Your Chicken Kebab is ready.
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Oats Kheer Recipe
Kheer is the most admired dessert and oats are one of the most chosen and popular ones to prepare healthy kheer.
Ingredients1 cup oats, half litre milk, sugar (optional), 6 dates, 7 almonds, 3 cardamoms, one banana, 7 raisins, 1 cup mixed fruits (optional)
InstructionsFirst, cook oats for about 5 minutes. Next, take a pan and put milk, sugar, cardamom, dates, almonds and raisins and let the mixture boil for about 5 to 6 minutes. Now mix oats and cook them boil as long as it becomes thick. Add mixed fruits when the kheer is ready to enjoy.
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BNP's movement to continue with programmes through Ramadan
As part of the party’s decision to continue its movement, BNP on Friday announced fresh programmes, including sit-in and mass campaign, from the metropolitan city to union levels to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
The programme is also meant for registering the party’s protest against the rise in the prices of power, gas and essential items and the Awami League government’s all-pervasive corruption.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme at an iftar party at the Ladies Club in the city.
As part of the programme, the party will stage a sit-in from 2pm to 4pm on April 1 in all metropolitan cities and districts towns.
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Besides, a similar programme will be observed from 3pm to 5pm on April 8 at all thanas in metropolitan cities and at all upazilas in the districts.
Ramadan spirit: 2 Chandpur traders selling iftar essentials at Tk 1 profit, medicine at purchase price
This Ramadan, two traders in Chandpur’s Faridganj upazila are going above and beyond to uphold the spirit of the holy month.
Shah Alam, owner of a grocery shop adjacent to Central Charkumira Mohila Madrasa in Faridganj, is selling iftar essentials including pulses, puffed rice, flattened rice, dates etc. at a profit of only Tk 1.
Mostafa Kamal, owner of a medicine store at Sanki Sair Bazar in East Balithuba of the same upazila, is selling medicines at purchase price during Ramadan.
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Both traders distributed leaflets among people and informed through social media in this regard.These noble initiatives have created quite a buzz in the locality.
According to Shah Alam and Mostafa, sales are seeing a boost, and locals are praising their initiative.
Alhaj Jahangir Akhand Selim, president of Chandpur District Industry and Merchants Association, has issued a statement urging all traders in the district to sell iftar essentials and other commodities at low profit in public interest during Ramadan.
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