The government on Tuesday launched drives across the country against illegal rice hoarders and traders, a day after the prime minister ordered strict measures to check the prices of the essential commodity.
Eight teams of the Food Ministry launched the drives to detect those involved in creating an artificial crisis by hoarding rice illegally. They will take legal steps against them, according to an official release.
As part of the measures, letters will be sent to deputy commissioners, upazila nirbahi officers, national security intelligence, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection with a view to tackling the crisis.
The ministry also opened a control room and requested people to inform it about illegal rice hoarding through phone calls at +88022233802113, +8801790499942 and +8801713003506.
The decisions were taken at a meeting with Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder in the chair, held at the Secretariat, reports UNB.
Amid the rice price hike in Bangladesh, Open Market Sales (OMS) trucks were seen selling rice at Tk30 per kg in the capital on Tuesday.
In the past month, prices of rice have gone up by Tk5-8 per kg, and in the last week, alarmingly up by Tk2-5 per kg.
In Naogaon, one of the largest rice hubs in the country, the price of rice has skyrocketed during the Boro season in a week.
On Tuesday, the price increased by Tk200 to Tk300 per sack (50kg) in the wholesale market, thus affecting the retail market, according to local mill owners.
They claimed that the cost of rice production had also gone up due to the rise in paddy prices. The price had to be increased to adjust the cost.
In Dinajpur, a mobile court fined five rice traders Tk38,000 for illegal stockpiling, disturbing and selling last season’s rice at exorbitant prices in Hili.
Hakimpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate Mohammad Noor-e-Alam conducted the raids in Hili Bazar and later in a rice mill in Dangapara in the afternoon.
During a regular Cabinet meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the authorities concerned to find out why rice prices were so high during the peak harvest season.
The meeting decided to conduct drives against illegal rice hoarders and monitor the rice market strongly.
Moreover, instructions were given to the relevant ministers to hold a discussion and identify the reasons behind the soaring prices.
The food minister on Monday said there would be no food crisis in the country as “Bangladesh’s soil can yield gold”. He added that rice would be imported to make consumers comfortable after reducing taxes, if needed.
He urged the traders to demonstrate a humane attitude toward consumers and not think of making excessive profit. At the same time, he asked the authorities concerned to complete 70% of procurement by June.
