The government has extended the procurement target of aman rice by one lakh tonnes for the current aman season to boost stock and help ensure fair price to the growers, food department officials said. As per the latest decision, the government would now procure a total of four lakh tonnes, instead of three lakh tonnes of aman rice, at Tk 30 per kilogram from the millers, they said.
About 2.70 lakh tonnes of aman rice have so far been procured till February 27 since beginning of procurement on 1st December, they said.
‘As aman rice was enormously available in local markets, the government further extended the procurement target,’ a senior food department official told New Age.
The government’s procurement would keep increasing the price of aman paddy in the local markets, he said, adding that food ministry would soon fix new deadline for the procurement.
Procurement wing officials at food department told New Age that they had signed agreement with a total of 14,158 millers, mostly from Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions, to supply the targeted aman rice to the government warehouses.
As per the agreement, the millers continued providing about 4,200 tonnes of rice daily to the government warehouses, they said.
In last November, the food ministry set procurement price of aman rice at Tk 30 per kilogram to purchase two lakh tonnes of aman rice and later it extended the target to three lakh tonnes.
On February 20, the government decided to extend procurement of aman rice by one lakh tonnes more to strengthen the government stock, officials said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Krishok Samity general secretary Sajjad Zahir Chandan told New Age that the government’s decision to procure rice instead of paddy was benefitting the millers and not the growers as the growers sell paddy and the millers sell rice.
The new procurement policy has been adopted only to help the millers sell rice from their old stocks, he said.
According to department of agriculture extension, the production of aman has exceeded the target for 2013-14 crop year due to increase of cultivation acreage.
DAE estimated production of aman increased to 140.29 lakh tonnes from the government target of 128.40 lakh tonnes, a senior agriculture ministry official told New Age.
He, however, said the DAE estimation would be finalised soon in coordination meetings with Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation likely to be held in early March.
The country’s growers cultivated aman on 54.34 lakh hectares against government target of 52.41 lakh hectares during 2013-14 fiscal year.
-With New Age input
