Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the people to refrain from buying excessive goods after being panicked, saying categorically that the country has adequate stock of food grains.
In this connection, the prime minister said there should be a strong vigilance both from the authorities concerned and the people so that none can hoard essential goods cashing on the novel coronavirus outbreak.
�Hiking the price of essential commodities by excessive unnecessary purchasing after being panicked is a �garhita� (reproachable) act � all will have to abstain from it,� she said.
The prime minister said this while talking to reporters after casting her vote in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) by-polls to Dhaka-10 constituency at Dhaka City College this morning.
Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, said: �We�re observing that being frightened, some people are storing foods after purchasing those excessively.�
�But I want to say clearly that we�ve no problem of foods � we�ve adequate stock of food grains. So there is no need to buy excessive goods after being panicked.�
The premier said she has already held meetings with the finance minister, finance secretary and the Bangladesh Bank governor in this regard.
�We�ve an ability to purchase foods for the next one year through the reserve we have. So there is no reason to be worried to this end,� she said.
Sheikh Hasina said there are 17 lakh metric tons of food grains in the government warehouses apart from 3:50 lakh MT wheat.
�Besides there are a huge quantity of food grains in the private rice mills. So I would like to request all to buy goods (essential) that are necessary for them,� she said.