[Reader-list] Milk Price Crisis During Eid+Puja

[Naeem Mohaiemen]

An interesting email doing the rounds in Dhaka.  Price of chilli,
eggplant, etc at all time high.  Crisis on people's lips. Now milk
joins the list...

Bangladesh and its Abnormal Price Hike in Milk Prices

Follies abound in Bangladesh and none can tell where the next round of
absurdity will hit the ground in Bangladesh. This Eid and Puja season
the center stage has been stolen by grandiose escalation of milk
prices. The unfolding story of skyrocketed milk prices gives me the
temptation to become granivorous (feeding on grains only).

Milk prices have gone up 17% over the last 10 days in a bizarre twist
of turns. I am joining the Consumer Association of Bangladesh for real
this time and going to seriously work to right-size this uncalled for
situation and work as a pressure group so that accidental price swings
do not surprise Bangladesh. Let us all join the consumer movement in
Bangladesh and work to keep the corporation in line here in
Bangladesh.

This is simply tasteless where to my mind all the multinationals and
locals ( NESTLE, NEW ZEALAND, DANO, Daily, Aarong, Milk vita) have
colluded. It is senseless greed that has gripped them in this Eid and
Puja season. I am requesting all to put up your voices against this
onslaught of corporate greed. I am inclined to request all to venture
into seriously boycotting drinking milk for a week (which may sound
impossible but no harm in trying).

This is oligopoly has to stop. I also want to see the Government doing
the right job by penalizing these greedy organizations and levy
serious sanctions against them. Additionally, I would request the SEC
to force them to sell their shares in the public or else cease and
desist. These corporations have had their jolly ride in skimming too
much profit that they had never ventured to share with the local
public. In other words, they are seriously deficient in their
stakeholder management and all of this is going on under the nose of
the government. I would request the Government wake from slumber and
start their drives to bring these corporations to open up to the
markets of Bangladeshi citizens.

Coming back to the issue of outrageous commodity price movements, the
people of Bangladesh cannot be robbed just because we are dependant on
Milk or other products for that matter. We shall not drink milk for
the next few weeks and make you the cheating corporates understand the
will of the public and humble you to reduce your prices to levels
lower than before or else force you to pack bags and leave the
corporate world. We need sensitive, law abiding corporations with
positive social responsibility. We do not need cheating and conniving
corporates that eat on people's innocence. Just imagine how many poor
children's nutrition you are robbing by skimming above normal profits
and you can yourselves civilized corporate citizens. Shame on you.

Enough damage has been made and we need to fight back otherwise we
will be devoured in the long run - our existence threatened.

The only practical reason for raising the prices would be if the world
market prices had indeed shot up. I think that is a distant
possibility and, therefore, I would also volunteer the ACC to dig into
this syndicate of milk supply chain. The dealers of these corporations
may also be involved in this heinous spiraling of milk prices.

If you feel that I have raised valid points then please pass on this
email to others and request others to do the same. It is our humble
attempt at showing our discontentment and frustrations at controlling
the markets for greed at sensitive national festivities ( Eid and
Puja). The Government should take note that its popularity also
depends to a great extent on keeping prices within tolerable limits,
especially on staple products like Milk, Rice, Wheat, Oil, etc. I
would also request my friends in the press to carry on their
investigations and bring out into the public the real reasons for this
violent price surge and, if indeed some vested quarters are involved,
then let the public and the government take them to task. A small
punishment cannot be justified in this case; we, as the public, need
to see exemplary punishment for these wrongdoers so that Bangladesh do
not experience such a specter in the comings days and years or at
least send the signal that this price fixing will be dealt with
severely if found guilty. Finally, please let us all work together to
come out of the grips of a few for the welfare of all and, in this
journey, we need every decent citizen's moral commitment.


Ziaur Rahman
Chief Executive Officer
International Institute of Technology & Management
56/2 Lake Circus, West Panthopoth
Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh