Govt Urges Private Sector to Import 327,000 MT Rice Within a Month

The government has asked the private sector to import 3.27 lakh tonnes of rice within one month, aiming to further control the price of the food grain in the retail market across the country. A total of 59 rice importers have already got government approval to import the aforesaid amount of rice. Of the total amount of rice, 2.47 lakh tonnes will be boiled, while 80,000 tonnes will be non-boiled (Atap) rice, according to a food ministry order released on Tuesday.

"We have approved 59 companies to import 3.27 lakh tonnes of boiled and non-boiled (Atap) rice, aiming to keep price of rice in the retail market stable," M. Habibur Rahman Hosaini, Additional Secretary (Procurement and Supply) of the Food Ministry, told BSS today.

The order issued on Tuesday must be executed immediately with a view to covering the gap in the upcoming Aman harvest, which is likely to require a maximum one and a half months, said the official. The private importers must market the amounts of rice within December 10, mentioned the order. The importers have to directly sell the imported rice in sacks in the market instead of repackaging these goods with the imported companies.

While talking to BSS, Rice Arotder Samity General Secretary Nirod Baran Saha said: "The government's decision on rice import will reduce the rice price further in the market. Even the import will have an impact on the price of the newly-harvested paddy, as the price of per kg of paddy is now being sold at Taka 36 to Taka 36.50."

The public sector accumulated food storage till Wednesday 12,88,513 tonnes. Of those, 8,48,139 tonnes are rice, 4,39,564 tonnes are wheat and the rest 1,245 tonnes are paddy.