Anisur Rahman Khan :
The rice market is becoming volatile despite full Boro harvest season, but farmers are deprived of getting fair price.
It is learned that the rice millers are allegedly involved with illegal stockpiling of rice, which are making the market unstable. However, the Food Ministry is considering for taking tough measures against the unscrupulous traders and millers.
Meanwhile, Boro harvest period is near to end, but the farmers are not getting production cost even after selling one maund of paddy.
Though the Boro rice has already been in the markets, but the price of this staple food has gone up by Tk 5 to 7 per kg in the wholesale markets of Dhaka, Kushtia and Naogaon, based on the rice variety.
During a field visit it was found that farmers failed to pay the labour cost even after selling one maund of paddy. A farmer has to pay Tk 700 to Tk 800 per labour cost, while they are getting Tk650 to Tk700 after selling per maund of paddy in the local markets.
In such a situation, the farmers are also thinking of moving away from paddy cultivation in future.
According to the BBS, the annual consumption demand for rice is 28 million tonnes in Bangladesh. The quantity is a bit higher, according to the private sector estimate, nearly 31 million tonnes. At the same period, the country imported about 13 lakh tonnes of rice despite self-sufficient in paddy production.
According ministry sources, the issue of volatile rice market and other food grains will likely to be discussed on Monday’s cabinet meeting.
Usually rice price drops quite low at the beginning of the Boro season, bringing comfort to the people. Almost 55 per cent of the country’s total rice is produced in the Boro season alone.
It is very natural that adequate supply reduces the price of rice, but the picture is totally opposite during this full season of Boro. When the price was supposed to decrease with the arrival of new rice in the market, supply is short and the price keeps soaring, experts wondered.
The current situation is such that, traders are looking for opportunities to reap a good profit in near future by buying and storing rice and paddy now.
There is a possibility of 27 million tonnes of Boro rice being produced this time despite damage of some crops in haor areas.
However, traders say, on average rice prices have increased by Tk 3 to Tk7 per kg in the retail markets of Dhaka, whereas in the wholesale markets it rose up by Tk 4 to 8. The increase rate was Tk 3 to 6 in the wholesale markets of Naogaon and Tk 3 to 4 per kg in the rice mills of Kushtia.
In the retail shops of Dhaka, coarse rice was seen selling at Tk 50 to 52, medium rice at Tk 55 and fine rice at Tk 60 to 75. In some shops, fine Nazirshail rice was selling at Tk 80 as well.
“Most of the mill owners are buying paddy from the market at this moment, but they are not going into production. As a result, new rice is not yet coming in the market. The old rice is now being sold in the market, which collected in the last year. So, where is the new rice going?,” Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said while talking to this correspondent regarding present market price.
The Food Minister said this situation will not be allowed to continue and the traders will have to place their reports to the food department officials in the form of who is buying how much paddy and who is releasing how much rice after crushing it.
He also warned if anyone found involved in creating unstable situation in rice market will have to face music.
