The Directorate General of Food (DGoF) has urged the ministry of food (MoF) to allow 15 days more for fulfilling the ongoing Boro procurement target as it could not complete its task on time, officials said.
The DGoF, in a letter to the MoF on October 21 last, requested the latter to extend the time until October 30, citing that recent rains and government holidays for Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja caused delay in fulfilling the target.
The procurement drive of Boro rice and paddy started in May 2014 and was originally scheduled to end in August last. Later, the time was extended until October 15, 2014. And now it is going to be extended until October 30, 2014 to achieve the target.
"We need another 15 days to complete our target," a high official of the DGoF told the FE. He said if the MoF allows the time, then it will help fulfil the procurement target.
According to the DGoF, the procurement of Boro in Sylhet division is yet to be completed.
The regional Controller of Food, Sylhet, in a letter to the DGoF on October 12 last, requested to extend the time until October 30, 2014.
Earlier, the government had fixed the target to procure 0.9 million tonnes of boiled rice and 0.1 million tonnes of non-boiled rice and 0.15 million tonnes of paddy.
The procurement price for per kg Boro rice this year has been fixed at Tk 31 while non-boiled rice at Tk 30 and paddy at Tk 20.
The production cost of paddy was Tk 17.50 per kg while that of rice was Tk 26.50. Last year, the government had procured paddy at Tk 18.50 per kg while rice at Tk 29.
After the start of the ongoing procurement drive, the government revised its target upward to a total of 965,000 tonnes of boiled rice while reducing the target to procure 50,000 tonnes of paddy from the previous 0.15 million tonnes.
The government converted 0.1 million tonnes of paddy to 65,000 tonnes of rice out of its procurement target of 0.15 million tonnes of paddy declared earlier.
The total target for procuring boiled and non-boiled Boro rice now stands at 1.065 million tonnes (0.965 million tonnes boiled rice + 0.1 million tonnes non-boiled rice).
To fulfil the procurement target, the government has signed contracts with 14,444 millers to supply 0.99 million tonnes of boiled rice while 618 millers will supply 0.1 million tonnes of non-boiled rice to the government.
The DGoF has so far procured 945,278 tonnes of boiled rice while it has already procured 92,902 tonnes of non-boiled rice.
The DGoF has to procure 19,722 tonnes of boiled rice and 7,098 tonnes of non-boiled rice more to fulfil the target.
Last year the government had targeted to procure 0.9 million tonnes of rice and 0.15 million tonnes of paddy which was fulfilled.
The total stock of food grains at the government silos and warehouses in the country is now 1.416 million tonnes. Of the stock, 1.146 million tonnes are rice while 270,000 tonnes are wheat.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
