<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday directed the authority concerned to reduce import duty on four essential items – rice, edible oil, sugar and date– ahead of the upcoming Ramadan.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The directive came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Prime Minister has given a clear directive to decrease the duty on four items – edible oil, sugar, rice and date — on the occasion of the upcoming Ramadan, said Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain while briefing reporters at the Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>Now the National Board of Revenue (NBR) would assess how much the duty can be curtailed, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM also asked all the authorities concerned to work in a coordinated way&nbsp; and monitor the market so that there would be no deficit in the supply of the goods against the demand in the market, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Reply to a question, the Cabinet secretary said the importers now don't face problem to open LCs to import any essential goods. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>