United News of Bangladesh

Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin on Tuesday (11th November 2025) said that raids on retail and mid-level outlets have limited impact, as the main perpetrators behind market irregularities often escape accountability.  “Our goal is to protect consumers’ interests, not to restrict trade,” he said on Tuesday while speaking at a views-exchange meeting with edible oil delivery order (DO) traders at the commerce ministry. The adviser emphasised that facilitating both domestic and international trade is the ministry’s core function, and it has been working sincerely to achieve that objective. “As consumers ourselves, it’s only natural that my ministry and I will work in favour of consumer welfare,” he said, urging DO traders to cooperate and provide guidance in stabilising the market. Warning that decisive measures will be taken to protect consumer rights, Bashir Uddin said such steps would be taken regardless of who they affect. Read more: Govt working on Tk 100-crore fund to revive jute bags: Adviser Bashir He said the traditional practice of controlling the edible oil market through raids at retail or mid-level shops has proven largely ineffective. “The entire supply chain—from producers or importers to DO traders, wholesalers, and retailers—must come under regulatory oversight,” he said, adding that mill owners, DO traders, or both might be responsible for market instability. “It’s unrealistic to think a small retailer hiding 500 bottles of oil under his counter is causing market chaos. TV channels may show dramatic footage of oil seizures, the public may applaud, but in reality, such drives achieve nothing. The small grocer is blamed while the real manipulators walk free,” the adviser said. Bashir Uddin said the government will make sure no one can destabilise the edible oil market, and vowed to identify and act against the real offenders. At the meeting, DO traders complained about not receiving products on time from mill owners and urged the ministry to resolve the issue. Read more: Vitamin-fortified safe edible oil essential to protect public health: Speakers

A huge surge in online shopping during the pandemic has been a savior for retailers, but it comes at a price.

The Better Buying Institute has released the 2020 Better BuyingTM Index Report, underscoring the importance of better purchasing practices by brands and retailers in meeting post-COVID demand and protecting supply chain workers during pandemic recovery. Twenty-two brands and retailers invited more than 2,000 global suppliers to participate in the annual survey, which examines the impact of company purchasing practices – such as planning and forecasting, cost and cost negotiation, and payment and terms – on profitability, business relationships and working conditions. The report, released last week, found that several brands had made meaningful improvements to their purchasing practices over the past year, especially related to planning and forecasting – which will not only yield benefits in terms of production efficiency and reduced financial pressure on manufacturers, but also help suppliers maintain a more stable workforce and decrease their reliance on temporary labor or excessive overtime to flex their production capacity with unexpected increases or decreases in orders. This is especially important as brands weather unexpected supply chain disruptions such as the pandemic. “Unplanned disruptions like COVID-19 tend to cause extreme reactions from buyers attempting to minimize their exposure to short-term financial risk – reactions that often do not consider the ripple effect on suppliers and workers and the other resulting risks,” said Dr. Marsha Dickson, President of the Better Buying Institute. “While the impacts of the pandemic have certainly created new challenges in global supply chains, problematic purchasing practices are nothing new and must be addressed in order to meet rebounding consumer demand and protect decades of sustainability progress.”