PABNA, May 9 (UNB): About 65 per cent rice mills in Pabna district have lowered their shutters, as the demand for the local variety of rice has been on the decline due to imported one.
Around 800 rice mills in the district, including Ishwardi, which is a hub for rice, are also facing shutdown for the slump in sale of the locally-produced rice.
The recession in the rice industry here has brought many of the rice mill owners to their knees while some 20,000 workers depending on those are living amid extreme hardship with their families.
While talking to this correspondent, mill owners said as rice sale had fallen sharply in the last two months, they had to count loss of Tk 15,000-30,000 from milling a truck of rice.
It has become almost impossible for them to run business facing such heavy losses.
Mr Sadek Ali Biswas, owner of a rice mill at Ishwardi, said fearing loss, none of them dared to crush paddy.
Consequently, about 20,000 mill owners, paddy-rice traders and workers were now lying idle at Ishwardi.
Almost half the rice mill workers here were females, said Mr Sadek.
The wholesale rice market at Ishwardi witnessed lacklustre trading in the past several months, especially for lack of transport during the political turmoil featuring blockade and hartal.
Consequently, vast stock of local variety of rice remained unsold and added to this, the rice imported from India has flooded the local markets, lowering the price of the staple further.
Under the present circumstances, many of the traders are forced to keep their business suspended.
Traders in the local markets said Guti-Swarna variety of paddy was now being sold at Tk 595-600 per maund as against the earlier price of Tk 700-750 while Sumon-Swarna variety was being sold at Tk 600-625 per maund coming down from Tk 715-720.
BRRI-49 paddy is available at Tk 600 per maund as against Tk 800 earlier while BRRI-39 is selling at Tk 600 per maund, down from Tk 800 and Parija paddy at Tk 450-500, down from Tk 700-750.
Besides, the traders also fear that if the situation continues, the price of IRRI-Boro paddy, which has already started appearing in the market, will come down to Tk 300-350 per maund.
Rice mill owners observed that the farmers, rice mill owners, rice traders and workers were facing heavy losses due to double standard of the government, as the government imports rice and exports the item as well.
Mr Fazlur Rahman, president of Rice Traders Association, said, "After inquiry, we came to know that there is no information on rice import with the food and commerce ministries."
Some corrupt people in the government were importing rice from India in the name of animal feed, creating a crisis in the local market, he alleged.
He also urged the government to take necessary steps in the interest of farmers, rice mill owners, workers and traders.
Mr Idris Ali Biswas, president of Pabna Rice Mill Association, said the price of rice imported from India was lower than that of the locally-produced rice.
While one sack of Indian variety of rice is selling at Tk 1400-1600, locally produced rice is available at Tk 1700-2000 per sack.
The consumers have to buy a kg of Indian rice at Tk 28/29 while for the local variety they have to count Tk 35/37 per kg.
