Country’s rice market has turned volatile, causing immense suffering to the livelihoods of the commoners. The prices of every variety of rice have gone up because of fuel price hike. Per kg coarse variety of rice especially Bri-28 is now being sold at Tk 52-56. Besides, the fine varieties also continue showing an upward trend. The price of rice has increased up to Tk 5-15 per kg. Millers and traders have raised the rice price, excusing the fuel hike.
We are concerned over the unusual increase in the price of rice, the main staple of the country alongside the prices of all kinds of daily essentials including, edible oil, lentil, fish, meat and vegetables. Making the fuel price an issue, an unholy nexus of millers, importers and hoarders has deliberately increased the price of the main staple food through syndication. Hoarders hoarded a large volume of paddy during the harvesting season and now they are creating an artificial crisis in order to make the rice price unstable in the markets across the country.
When the hardship of the poor and low-income groups has deteriorated further amid persisting financial uncertainty, dishonest millers, hoarders, rice traders and rich farmers are now busy with stockpiling paddy to sell it after some days at higher prices. Earlier, the intelligence agency identified a hoarding syndicate behind the spiraling rice price.
A BIDS study showed 50 large mills have the capacity to influence the supply and prices of the main staple. The government had also blacklisted 16,000 rice millers for manipulating prices. The question is why the identified mill owners, importers and hoarders remain untouched?
The fact is politics has criminalised society and though it is urgent to start a drive against rice hoarders, corruption has made the government helpless. This is the result when the government itself depends on corruption. It will be that big hoarders are big men of the government party.
