Rice to get cheaper soon, says food minister

Prices of rice will come down soon as the government has launched the Open Market Sale (OMS) and the Food Friendly programmes, said Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder in the city Thursday.
He was speaking with journalists while inaugurating the twin programmes to sell essential items at subsidised rates, in Azimpur Chapra Masjid area.
He said Bangladesh has now a stock of around 2.0 million tonnes of food grains.
He said around 0.3 million tonnes of rice will be provided to the OMS programme monthly, adding if needed, the government will import rice and wheat in future to ensure food autarky.
He called upon the media to monitor the prices of rice at the mill gate, wholesale markets and retail level.
"There is no shortage of rice in the country. There are a lot of stocks of rice at the rice shops in the markets," Mr Majumder maintained.
"We (the government) are strictly monitoring the rice markets. We will take stern action if any unscrupulous traders try to make excessive profits by artificially increasing the prices of rice," he said with a note of warnings.
He, however, admitted the presence of a strong syndicate in the markets.
Asked why the rice is being imported despite the government's claim of a sufficient stock of the main staple in the country, he said "Every year the cultivable land is decreasing. A section of farmers started cultivating mangoes and pineapples rather than paddy. So, the government is importing rice and wheat considering the future needs".
Prices of different varieties of rice were still high in the markets Thursday in spite of multiple steps, including OMS, food friendly programmes and import, taken by the government to control the price.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com