To prevent instability in the rice market, the Deputy Commissioner held a view exchange meeting with the rice mill owners of Khajanagar, the main source of miniket rice (thin rice).
The meeting was held on Sunday (January 21) evening in the meeting room of the Deputy Commissioner. Deputy Commissioner Ehetesham Reza presided over the meeting.
Police Superintendent AHM Abdur Rakib, District Food Controller Babul Hossain, Bangladesh Rice Mill Owners Association President Abdur Rashid, District Rice Mill Owners Association President Abdur Samad and others spoke.
Deputy Commissioner Ehetesham Reza asked everyone's opinion for determining the price of rice in Mokam, District Food Controller Babul Hossain said that before the price increase, the price of miniket rice was Tk. 60 per kg at Mill gate in Khajanagar Mokam. He proposed to maintain that price. The rice mill owners protested. The Deputy Commissioner proposed to fix the price of miniket at Tk. 61 per kg at the Mill gate and Tk. 63 at the retail market. The rice truck owners did not agree to this either. They said they cannot supply miniket rice below Tk. 62 per kg.
In such a situation the meeting ended without any decision on fixing the price of rice. However, after the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner issued a warning and said that an operation will be conducted to check the stock of paddy and rice in Khajanagar Mokam within two days. At this time, strict action will be taken if a complaint is found against any mill owner for violating the Hoarding Act.
Abdur Rashid, President of Bangladesh Rice Mill Owners Association, said that there is no rice mill owners involved in Khajanagar Mokam syndicate. Some paddy owners in North Bengal especially Naogaon area are responsible for creating instability in the market. They suddenly increased the price of rice.
Abdur Samad, President of District Rice Mill Owners' Association, said that the wholesalers stopped buying rice from the place due to the fear that this unstable situation may arise in the country around the Jatiya Sangsad elections. After the elections, all the wholesalers started buying rice together, so the price increased.
Some of the mill owners in the meeting claimed that they had nothing to do with the increase in the price of rice. The price of rice has increased due to the high price of paddy in the market. However, they said that the market has started to decline for two-three days.
Officials of concerned departments, wholesale and retail rice traders of the district were present in the meeting.