DHAKA, Nov 20, 2019 (BSS) – Sounding a note of warning against unscrupulous trader, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder today said rice price manipulation would not be tolerated as the country has no shortage of the staple food.
“It will not be acceptable at any cost if anyone would try to manipulate rice price without any reason…there is no reason to raise the price of the rice illegally”, the minister told the journalists after a meeting with the rice mill owners and traders at the secretariat here.
The paddy price has not been increased, so there is no logic to raise the rice price, he said, adding that “the farmers would have rather benefited if the paddy price would be higher, but unfortunately it did not happen.”
The minister said, “it is quite unacceptable that the farmers would not get any benefit from paddy price but the ‘middlemen’ would get extra benefits.”
Control room has already been opened under the Food Ministry, said the minister, adding that various vigilance teams are monitoring the rice market at the field level.
Ruling out the price hike due to ongoing nation-wide transport strike, Majumder said the current transport strike would not cast any impact on the rice price for next 8-10 days as each market across the country has sufficient rice stock.
Moreover, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection has already been asked to take necessary actions if any irregularities come to their notice, he added.
If required, the minister said the food ministry will conduct mobile court drives to this end.
The country produces nearly 3.44 crore tonnes of rice annually against the demand of almost 2.16 crore tonnes, he said.
At present, the country’s food crops stock is about 14,52,707 tonnes at different warehouses of the government. Of the stock, 11,13,303 tonnes are rice.
Acting food secretary Omar Faruque, Director General of the Department of Food Nazmanara Khanum, Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association President Abdur Rashid, Bangladesh Auto Rice Mill Association President Khorshed Alam and representatives from the home, commerce and agriculture ministries, among others, attended the meeting.