In line with finer varieties, the prices of coarse varieties of rice also increased last week, battering the commoners further.
Coarse rice Swarna and BR-11 were selling at Tk 50-Tk 54 a kg while hybrid varieties at Tk 48-Tk 52 a kg at the city's retail markets - showing a rise of Tk 2-3 per kg over a period of seven days, according to the grocers.
The prices also increased by Tk 1-Tk 1.5 a kg to Tk 45-Tk 50 a kg at the wholesale markets of Badamtoli, Babubazar, Malibagh and Mohammadpur Krishi Market in the city on Thursday, according to traders.
Finer quality Najirshail was selling at Tk 70-Tk 80 a kg, Miniket and Jeerashail at Tk 64-Tk 72 and medium quality Brridhan-28 and Kajol Lota at Tk 56-Tk 58 a kg at retail markets - showing a hike of Tk 2 per kg in a week.
Terming such hike 'abnormal' and blaming syndicates responsible for it, market experts said the harvesting season was going on in the country and import reached an all-time high.
Traders attributed the hike to a record price surge of paddy during this ongoing Aman harvesting season amid expected low production of the staple.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan termed abnormal the recent hike in rice prices during this harvesting season, in addition to huge imports.
He said that their market reports showed milling cost of Swarna would not be more than Tk 39.8 a kg following the paddy prices, but was being traded at Tk 54 a kg in the Dhaka retails.
The milling cost of Najirshail would be highest at Tk 53 a kg considering the current prices of the paddy, he said.
Dr Md Asaduzzaman, professorial fellow at state-run think tank Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) said consumers usually expect a decline in prices during the harvesting season, which was absent this year.
He said that the overall production might witness a decline following the two spells of flooding that damaged the crops in both Boro and Aman seasons this year. But there was no supply shortage of rice now following the domestic harvest, sound imports and almost static international prices, he said.
"The millers, importers and their allied traders should be brought under close scrutiny to combat any artificial price hike," he said.
He said the government stock of rice should be raised to at least 1.5 million tonnes to put some impact over the mainstream market so that the limited income groups could afford rice at reasonable rates.
Meanwhile, the expert also urged the government for taking action to minimise huge price gap between the farmers' end and the consumers' level.
Md Shahidul Patwary Mohon, executive member of Bangladesh Auto Major Husking Mill Owners Association, told the FE that paddy (Swarna, BR-11) was selling at Tk 950-Tk 960 a maund (40 kg) from the beginning of this season.
The current paddy prices are all-time high considering any Aman harvesting seasons, according to him.
Traders feared that the overall output might decline as per reports by the farmers, he said. He also argued that the milling cost of Swarna is not less than Tk 40 a kg this season, he said.
Importer Sarwar Alam Kajol, however, said that the imported rice was selling at Tk 39-Tk 40 (Swarna) a kg and Tk 46-Tk 47 (Brridhan-28) a kg in the northern region of the country.
He said price of rice increased slightly in India following high demand from Bangladesh. "We are bringing Swarna at US $ 422-$ 440 a tonne now."
However, nearly 55 per cent of Aman harvest has been completed out of 5.56 million hectares of Aman coverage by December 20, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). The agriculture ministry was expecting 15.0 million tonnes of Aman rice this season.
Head of the Directorate General of Food (DGoF) M Badrul Hasan said the rice import has touched all-time high at 2.1 million tonnes so far in the current financial year. There is sufficient stock of rice now, he added.
"We have a stock of 0.381 million tonnes and started procuring 0.3 million tonnes more from the millers at Tk 39 a kg," he said, adding that the government has brought 0.4 million tonnes of rice while 1.2 million tonnes more will be imported during the remaining period of this fiscal year.
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