Al Amin :
The rice mill owners are now coming back from their previous decision not to supply rice to the government warehouses unless the rice price increased.
Many of them have already signed agreement with the food department to supply rice at the price fixed by the government. Some are waiting for signing the agreement as the paddy price is coming down at grower levels, food officials said.
They said many millers in Rangpur-Dinajpur, the major hub of rice, have already moved back from their pre-announcement for not supplying rice to the government houses unless the price is increased by Tk 7 per Kg.
Some 389 millers have signed agreement with the local administration of the food department to supply rice and some are waiting to do it, they added. Giving the chance, the government has already extended the deadline of signing the agreement till December 10 from November 26 this year.
Food Minister Shadhan Chandra Mojumder told The New Nation, “We have already extended the deadline of signing agreement with the mill owners as per their desires. If they don’t supply rice within this time, we will import rice from other countries to keep market stable.”
“Government has already approved international rice price quotation to import rice from India and other countries for the sake of ensuring the interest of the farmers and the consumers,” he added.
To bring the rice price to a tolerable level, the government is working to do what is required, the food minister said.
Earlier, the millers have repeatedly refused to supply rice to the government warehouses at the price fixed by the government was much lower than the millers’ demand, blaming the paddy price high in the markets.
The refusal had interrupted the rice procurement procedure of the government. It was also a matter of concern for ensuring food safety in the country amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under this circumstance, the government recently decided to import 50,000 tonnes of parboiled non-Basmati rice from India in the year 2020-21 through international quotation. The recommended bidder to supply the rice is PK Agri Link Pvt Ltd of West Bengal. Bangladesh will buy the rice at total $20.8 million or $416 per tonne. The cost, including shipment, will be Tk 35.27 per kg.
Besides, the Food Ministry has taken initiatives to take action against rice mills in different parts of the country that either did not participate in the food procurement programme or did not supply rice even after having a contract with the government.
It has blacklisted 914 rice mills in Dinajpur, 193 in Jashore and 261 in Kushtia, according to the food ministry.
The ministry had communicated with 2,122 rice mills in Dinajpur, but 2,023 of them responded. After signing the agreement, 1,208 rice mills have supplied rice.
Some millers have already agreed to supply rice to the government warehouses and the rest will also be agreed to do it within the time, said Sarwar Mahmud, Director General of the Food Directorate.
The government targeted to procure six lakh metric tonne rice in this Aman season.
