Minister urges traders not to hike price rice
Sounding a note of warning against unscrupulous rice traders, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder has said that there is no reason of rice price hike as the country has a sufficient stockpile of the food grain.
“The country has a sufficient stockpile of rice, so there is no reason to price hike. Stern action will be taken if the rice prices are increased unreasonably ,” he said.
The minister was talking to reporters after a meeting with rice mill owners at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
"The annual demand for rice is 2,84,16,710 mts and the production is 3,44,00,000 mts. At present nearly 14,52,707 mts of food grains are in stock in different government-owned godowns," said the Food Minister.
A control room has already been opened under the ministry and different teams are monitoring the rice market, he said.
Replying to a question, the minister said, "There is adequate stockpile of rice in the market, so the transport strike, if it continues for next 8-10 days, would not leave any impact on rice price."
He also requested the rice mill owners and all concerned for not raise the rice price
Among others, acting secretary of the ministry Omer Faruk, director general of Directorate General of Food Dr Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum, Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners' Association president Abdur Rashid; and representatives of Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Home Affairs, were present in the meeting.
