The government has decided to not procure Aman paddy in the ongoing season with the view of keeping food prices stable in the domestic market.
“If we procure Aman paddy from the local market, the price of rice might increase. By importing rice, the government will control rice price,” Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque told reporters after a meeting of the Food Planning and Procurement Committee at his office on Monday afternoon.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan and Cabinet Secretary M Abdul Aziz, among others, attended the meeting.
Addressing the press briefing, Razzaque said if the government buys Aman paddy from local market, the price of rice may increase due to high production cost.
“The government is committed to keep the food prices at an affordable level for 40 percent of the population who live below the poverty line,” he said.
About the country’s food grain reserves, the Food Minister said there is no food crisis in the country. About six lakh tonnes of rice and two lakh tonnes of wheat are reserved at the government’s warehouses now while eight lakh tonnes of food grains were imported.
He said although the government has decided to not procure Aman from the local market, the farmers will not face any suffering.
Razzaque predicted that about 135 lakh tonnes of Aman paddy will be produced in the ongoing season.
-Daily star
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