Rice traders pledge to curb prices as govt allows plastic sacks for import

Rice millers and importers have assured that the hiked prices will go down by at least Tk2-3 per kg very soon as the government has allowed using plastic sacks for packaging instead of jute sacks. They made the pledge instantly after Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed suspended for three months the 2014 government order that made use of jute sacks mandatory for importing, transportation, preservation, stocking and marketing of rice. Tofail’s decision came at a meeting, chaired by Food Minister Qamrul Islam, with the traders at the Secretariat on Tuesday in a bid to bring down the climbing prices of the food grain. “The government has also promised to take steps to remove the barriers in importing rice from other countries. This will help us,” said KM Layek Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Auto, Major and Husking Mill Owners’ Association. Encouraging the private traders, the commerce minister said: “From now on, import and market rice in whatever packaging you can. I’ll notify the NBR and Customs. No one will stop you. This will remain effective for next three months.” “There is no food shortage in the country. Even if there is any shortage, we’ll meet the demand through government to government agreements and private sector will import the rest,” he added. Tofail said he also would talk to the concerned authorities in getting rid of the hurdles in rice import. To meet any shortage, Food Minister Qamrul said: “The government will soon launch open market sell (OMS) of rice at upazila level while suspending programmes like Food For Work immediately.” Meanwhile, the Food Directorate’s recent OMSs witnessed lacklustre response as people are not habituated with unboiled (Atap) rice, OMS representative Syed Bin Kawsar told the Dhaka Tribune. After the latest price hike, the OMSs were launched at Dhaka’s different points for the lower income people, selling per kg unboiled rice at Tk30 and flour at Tk17 a kg. Kawsar said they were suffering losses as most people were only buying flour. Millers and importers on Tuesday also complained that using jute sacks when importing rice raises their cost by Tk1 per kg. But plastic sacks cost just 15-16 paisa. They claimed using plastic sacks will curb the import cost by at least Tk2 per kg, and gradually bring the rice prices in the local markets down. Prices of all types of rice at the kitchen markets in Dhaka have increased by Tk10 per kg in the past week, due to several reasons including floods and illegal storage by millers and traders. According to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, the markets have seen Tk18-20 hike in per kg rice from last month’s prices and Tk29-50 from last year’s prices. On Tuesday, Najirshail rice was sold at Tk70-72 per kg and different coarse rice (Swarna and Paijam) at Tk55. Last week, coarse rice prices were between Tk42 and Tk44. Fine grain Miniket's price is also up to Tk65 from Tk55 per kg, and BR-28 is at Tk58-60 from Tk48-50.