Kamruzzaman Bablu :
Prices of rice showed a hike again in the city’s retail market increasing the sufferings of the consumers, especially the low and middle income group of people of the society ahead of Ramzan.
The prices of rice have risen when government imposed restrictions to control Coronavirus pandemic. During this period, the price of rice has increased by Tk 2-4 per kg in the capital’s markets.
Enamul Haque, a rice trader at City’s Hairpool kitchen market, said that a shortage in rice supply had pushed up the prices. He said, ‘Rashid’s Miniket rice is not seen for a few days in the market. That is why price of all varieties of rice is up by Tk 2-4 per kg.’
“Last month, I bought a 25 kg sack of Rashid rice for Tk 1,600. Now this sack of rice is being sold at Tk 1800,” Ahmed Mamun who bought rice from Jigatola told The New Nation on Monday.
“People are struggling to survive pandemic with the fear of loss of jobs and work. This time, traders are raising the prices of everything. But no one is taking any step to control prices. All the pressures are falling on low and middle income group of people like us. There is no one to watch our suffering,” he added.
The prices have risen due to decline of supply of rice in the market, said retailers. However, rice traders claim the recent hike in prices is only temporary and they shall fall again in a few days.
“Usually every year ahead of Ramzan, rise of price rice is a common phenomena in our country. But at this time the rise of price is very unusual and we can’t support it,” Zakir Hossain Rony, Vice-President of Bangladesh Rice Merchants Association told the New Nation on Monday.
“There is no control over price hike to the retailers in the markets. That is why retailers doing business as their desire,” he added.
According to retailers, rice sales increased by two days after the one-week ban on offices and trade. During this time, many buyers stocked extra rice and most of millers have reduced the supply of rice in the market. As a result, the price of rice has gone up suddenly.
On Monday, this correspondent found that Miniket and Nazirshail rice were being sold at Tk 66-70 per kg which was sold Tk 64-66 per kg before the announced of lockdown. In other words, the price of fine rice has increased up to Tk four per kg. The price list includes medium quality of Paijamas and Lata rice as well as creeper thick rice of poor.
Currently, medium quality rice is being sold at Tk. 56-60 per kg, which was earlier between Tk 54-56. On the other hand, coarse rice is being sold at Tk 50-52 per kg, which was Tk 48-50 earlier.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) also showed the information about the increasing of rice price. Though, there is a big difference with TCB about the price rate given by the capital’s retailers.
According to the TCB, Miniket and Nazirshail rice are being sold at Tk 60-65 per kg. The price of this rice remained unchanged over the months. However, the price of coarse rice has increased by 2.8 percent in a month and now it is being sold at Tk 48 to 52 per kg. The price of medium quality rice has increased by 1.82 percent in a month and is being sold at Tk 52-60 per kg.
On Monday, Nazirshail and Miniket rice were being sold at Tk 60-74 per kg in the capital markets at the retail level when the government announced the reduction in the import duty on rice before two months ago. Medium quality paijamas and Lata rice was sold at Tk 52-54 per kg and coarse rice was below at Tk 50.
Murad Hasan, a rice trader of Jigatola Bazar said this correspondent that “Even a week ago, we sold a 25 kg Rashid’s rice sack at Tk1,600. But at present the price of same rice has soared up in the last three days, now we are selling at Tk 1680 a sack. The price of rice of other companies like Rashid has also rises up.
On December 27, the government decided to allow private traders to import rice in a desperate bid to check high rice prices in the domestic market.
The import duty was lowered to only 25% from 62.5%, so that private importers could supplement recent government efforts to import rice by floating international tenders.
It is due to the increase in the price of rice, the government reduced the import duty on rice from 62.50 percent to 10 percent in January. Even though the government gave such concessions, there are no benefits yet to get.
