Bangladesh Competition Commission

The duties, powers and functions of the Commission are as follows, namely :

• To to eliminate practices having adverse affect on competition in the market, to promote and to sustain competition and to ensure freedom of trade;

• To inquire into, either on receipt of any complaint or on its own initiative. All anti-competition agreements, dominant position and practice of the enterprises;

• Without prejudice to section 18, to inquire into other offences specified under this Act and to sue and conduct them accordingly;

• To determine the combination and matters relating to combination, to inquire into for combination and conditions of combination and approval or disapproval of combination;

• To make rules, policy, instructions of notifications or administrative directions relating to competition, and to give advice and to assist the Government for implementation thereof;
• To set up appropriate standards for the promotion of competitive activities and to provide training for the matters relating to competition;

• To take necessary plan of actions for developing awareness among the people about the matters relating to competition by way of dissemination, publication and any other means;

• To develop mass awareness by way of conducting research, seminar, symposium, workshop and other similar means about the anti-competitive agreement and activities and to publish and disseminate the result of such research and to give recommendations to the Government for their effective implementation;

• To implement, follow or consider any matter relating to competition sent by the Government;

• To review the actions taken under any other law for the consumer rights protection and implementation;

• In order to discharge the duties under this section or for efficient performance of its functions, to sign and execute any agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with any foreign organization, with prior approval of the Government;

• To fix fees, charges or any other expenses for carrying out the purposes of this Act; and

• To do any other act prescribed by rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

Bangladesh Competition Commission was established in 2012 through the passage of Competition Act in the Parliament of Bangladesh. The act repealed and replaced the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Ordinance, 1970. The purpose of the commission is to prevent, control and eradicate collusion, monopoly and oligopoly, combination or abuse of dominant position or activities adverse to the competition.[5] The commission consists of a Chairperson and not more than 4 (four) members. Among them at least 3 persons will make a quorum. It is responsible for compliance of the Competition Act, 2012.[6]

In November 2019, the commission announced plans to dismantle a cartel in onion market controlling the price of onions in Bangladesh.[7]