Anisul Islam Noor :
The prices of rice remained higher in the markets despite about 60 percent of the Aman paddy being harvested so far. The positive influence of the bumper Aman yielding is yet to create any impact on the markets.
The government has set Aman production target at 129.16 lakh tonnes for this year and the target is likely to be achieved though flash flood caused some crop loss, said Rafiqul Hasan, Deputy Director (monitoring) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).More than 60 percent of Aman paddy has been harvested till November 16, he said adding that the production is yet to hit the markets.
Some 52.80 lakh hectares of land had been brought under Aman cultivation this year and the flooding damaged productions on 12 hectares of the land, he said.
But consumers complained that they could not feel any influence of new paddy. The coarse rice is till selling at Tk 36 in the Bangla month of Agrahayan, said retired public servant Sjjadur Rahman.
Farmers are getting 2.85 tonnes of Aman per hectare this year, Rafiqul Hasan said adding that they would achieve the target as they had cultivated hybrid and High Yielding Varieties (HYV).
According to FAO forecast, 52.5 million tonnes of rice (including Aus, Aman and Boro) will be produced in Bangladesh showing two percent rise compared with the last year’s output.
Coarse rice is selling at Tk35 to 36 per kg and Pyjam at Tk 36 to Tk37 on Monday.BRI-29 and BRI-28 were selling at 44 to Tk46 per kg while Nazishail brand of rice was selling at Tk55, Minicate at Tk 52-54, Pillau rice (Badsha bhog) at Tk80 to Tk100 and Kalogira at Tk100 to Tk115 only. The annual consumption of rice in the country is about three crore tonnes, according to a study by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies. Md Abdur Rashid, managing director of Rashid Agro and Food Products, a leading rice miller, said production was enough to meet national demand. The price spiral is marginal and it usually takes place in the last days of a season, he added.
“It is natural. Prices are unlikely to rise ahead of aman paddy harvests that will continue for next 15-20 days,” said Rashid, also President of Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mills Association, a platform of more than 7,000 rice mills.
Sarwar Alam Kazol, Joint Secretary of the association, linked the price spiral to declining stocks of paddy with both the millers and farmers. “The supply of paddy at local markets is low now a days,” he said. “As a result, prices of fine and medium quality paddy, such as miniket, went up, leading to a spike in prices of the fine variety.”
