Energy Bangla

Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir has said that issues related to the United States’ retaliatory tariffs and the bilateral trade agreement are still evolving. He noted that a decision will be made after further review.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting at the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday, the minister said the agreement is sensitive, as is the country involved. “Given the evolving situation, it would not be appropriate to make any premature or unexpected comments,” he added.
Commerce State Minister Md. Shariful Alam and Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, among others, were present at the meeting.
The United States Supreme Court has declared the retaliatory tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump illegal. In response, he has ordered the imposition of new global tariffs. The Ministry of Commerce held a meeting with business leaders to determine the next course of action regarding these tariffs and the trade agreement signed between Bangladesh and the United States.
Following the meeting, the adviser reiterated that the situation in the United States is still evolving—what he described as an “evolving scenario.” He explained that the US Supreme Court has ruled that previously imposed tariffs are not maintainable. Subsequently, the US announced tariffs of 10 percent initially, later increasing them to 15 percent for all countries.
“We have heard these announcements through various sources, but have not yet received any official written communication,” the minister said, adding that no formal government documents have been received, making the scenario uncertain.
He also noted that the interim government recently signed a trade agreement with the United States, but it is still too early to comment on it. “We are reviewing both the pros and cons of the agreement. Naturally, any agreement has both positive and negative aspects. We will decide on the next steps after completing our review,” he said.
Regarding feedback from the business community, the minister said that representatives from different sectors were invited to the meeting, where discussions were held on the agreement and sector-specific challenges.
On the current commodity price situation, the adviser said that the prices of products monitored by the Ministry of Commerce remain stable in the market. However, prices of some items—particularly vegetables—have risen due to panic buying.
“At the beginning of Ramadan, many people tend to buy supplies for the entire month at once. Sellers sometimes take advantage of the situation and temporary shortages. For example, lemons that were priced at Tk 40–50 rose to Tk 120 during that period, but have since returned to normal levels,” he said.
Responding to a question about extortion, the adviser said that although previous governments had made promises to curb it, effective action had not been taken. “Please wait—we will demonstrate results through our actions,” he added.