No sale of rice as 'miniket' any more

No rice can be sold in the market as 'miniket', as there is no cultivation of such variety in the country, said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam on Wednesday.
"The name of the exact variety should be written by the millers (on packet) while packing rice," he told the media while visiting the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) in Gazipur.
He also warned the millers of taking legal actions by the government if the directive is violated.
Citing a recent circular - issued by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Mr Islam said different varieties of rice - developed by scientists - would be certified after being proved.
"The government will take decision soon on how these rice varieties can be delivered at the grassroots level as early as possible."
The cabinet secretary also hoped that the rice yield may double in next five-six years, if the varieties developed by the researchers can be delivered to the farmers quickly through better coordination among different government departments.
Following his visit to different departments of the BRRI, Mr Islam attended a view-exchange meeting on agriculture research and extension of varieties and technology at the field level - organised in its auditorium.
ICT Division Senior Secretary N M Ziaul Alam, Information and Broadcasting Secr-etary Md Mokbul Hossain, Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Nahid Rashid, Agriculture Secretary Md Sayedul Islam, Bang-ladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC) Executive Chairman Dr Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar, and BRRI Director General Md Shahjahan Kabir, among others, were present on the occasion.
According to the Ministry of Food, the country produces over 36.5 million tonnes of rice annually, and around half of the rice is sold as 'miniket' in the retail markets.
The government has found that millers and huskers make 'miniket' rice from at least 40 varieties of paddy cultivated in the country.
On September 13, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said there is no rice called 'miniket' in the country; still traders are selling rice under the name.
New law is underway to take actions against those who are selling rice in the name of 'miniket', he informed in a programme organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters' Forum (BSRF).
Mr Majumder also hinted that the proposed law would make it mandatory to write the paddy variety name on rice sack or packet.

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