OMS of atta draws good response
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Talha Bin Habib
Open Market Sale (OMS) of atta (flour) in the capital on the first day has drawn huge response from consumers, officials said. The stocks of atta emptied in just a few hours, they said. "It was just like hot cake," Chief Controller of Dhaka Rationing said about the sale. "It was beyond our imagination as most of the truck dealers were dithering whether they will get good response from the customers," he added. About 150 truck dealers were engaged in selling rice and atta through OMS programme. About 92 trucks were deployed for selling atta on the first day, he said. Prices of per kg atta have been fixed at Tk 20 while per kg of rice at Tk 24. A consumer can buy either rice or atta or both the items separately with five kg's of each item at a time from the designated truck dealers, according to the ministry. The sale of atta along with rice through OMS programme is designed to support low-income people to purchase the two essential commodities (rice and atta) with rational prices. Besides, the move is also seen as an attempt by the government to bring stability in the market. On the first day, each of the 11 truck dealers received one tonne of atta while the rest of 81 dealers took 500 kg's of atta from the millers. The government has appointed a private flour mill to produce atta through pulverisation of wheat. As per the deal, the government will get 80 kg's of atta against 100 kg's of wheat from the miller. The government provides per kg of wheat at Tk 17 to the miller, and after crushing it (wheat), the miller will supply atta to the dealers at Tk 19 per kg. The dealers sell per kg of atta to the customers at Tk 20 per kg, making Tk1.0 profit per kg. "The government has sufficient stocks of wheat to produce atta (flour)," Sukumar Chandra Roy, Chief Controller of Dhaka Rationing, said. He said the programme will continue through the week except Tuesday. The head of the Department of Food said the number of trucks will be increased in near future considering the growing demand for atta. "We are very happy with the responses. Considering the growing demand, we will increase the number of trucks for selling atta soon," Director General (DG) of Department of Food Ahmed Hossain Khan told the FE. He said that most of the districts and metropolitan cities had been selling rice and atta under the OMS programme. Rest of the districts will come under the programme soon.
Open Market Sale (OMS) of atta (flour) in the capital on the first day has drawn huge response from consumers, officials said. The stocks of atta emptied in just a few hours, they said. "It was just like hot cake," Chief Controller of Dhaka Rationing said about the sale. "It was beyond our imagination as most of the truck dealers were dithering whether they will get good response from the customers," he added. About 150 truck dealers were engaged in selling rice and atta through OMS programme. About 92 trucks were deployed for selling atta on the first day, he said. Prices of per kg atta have been fixed at Tk 20 while per kg of rice at Tk 24. A consumer can buy either rice or atta or both the items separately with five kg's of each item at a time from the designated truck dealers, according to the ministry. The sale of atta along with rice through OMS programme is designed to support low-income people to purchase the two essential commodities (rice and atta) with rational prices. Besides, the move is also seen as an attempt by the government to bring stability in the market. On the first day, each of the 11 truck dealers received one tonne of atta while the rest of 81 dealers took 500 kg's of atta from the millers. The government has appointed a private flour mill to produce atta through pulverisation of wheat. As per the deal, the government will get 80 kg's of atta against 100 kg's of wheat from the miller. The government provides per kg of wheat at Tk 17 to the miller, and after crushing it (wheat), the miller will supply atta to the dealers at Tk 19 per kg. The dealers sell per kg of atta to the customers at Tk 20 per kg, making Tk1.0 profit per kg. "The government has sufficient stocks of wheat to produce atta (flour)," Sukumar Chandra Roy, Chief Controller of Dhaka Rationing, said. He said the programme will continue through the week except Tuesday. The head of the Department of Food said the number of trucks will be increased in near future considering the growing demand for atta. "We are very happy with the responses. Considering the growing demand, we will increase the number of trucks for selling atta soon," Director General (DG) of Department of Food Ahmed Hossain Khan told the FE. He said that most of the districts and metropolitan cities had been selling rice and atta under the OMS programme. Rest of the districts will come under the programme soon.