Milon Raihan:
The rice procurement campaign for the Aman season has started on February 10. It will continue until the end of February. This time the government has decided that the licenses of the mills that do not supply rice to the government warehouse will be canceled, the electricity connection will be disconnected. At the same time, they will not be able to do business. However, despite taking such a strict decision, 60 rice mills have not signed agreements to supply rice to the government warehouse. The district food department has canceled the licenses of these mills. At the same time, the concerned have decided to disconnect their electricity connection and close their businesses. The traders are not worried about such a decision.
Mill owners in Joypurhat say that the price set by the government for rice procurement is much lower than the market price. As a result, they do not want to supply rice to the government warehouse for fear of losses. Mill owners have been counting losses while supplying rice to the government warehouse for the last six seasons. Many mills have closed down. Mill owners say that if they are not in business, what will they do with the license? So the millers are not willing to provide rice at a loss without increasing the debt burden.
Many are forced to supply rice to food warehouses at a loss to maintain their licenses. However, its sustainability will not be long.
Saiful Islam, a farmer from Udaypur Union in Kalai Upazila of Joypurhat, told Daily Present Time, “We wanted to sell rice in the government warehouse. After researching, we found that the price of rice in the market is higher than in the government warehouse. So we sold rice in the market.”
Two rice mill owners who are out of the contract said on condition of anonymity that if there is a profit in rice supply one year, then we have to count the loss in the next year. It is not possible to provide losses year after year due to the fear of cancellation of registration. There will be a loss of four to five taka per kg in the current rice supply. That is why they did not sign a rice supply agreement. Other mill owners have signed agreements. When asked, they said, “Those who have money have signed agreements.” They are small millers, that’s why they didn’t do it.’ They also said they are not afraid of the cancellation of the registration of the mill.
Daily Present Time, a resident of Akkelpur upazila of Joypurhat, told that Golam Mostafa Bidyut, owner of Mahin Mill, said, ‘I signed an agreement to give the government 87 metric tons of rice allocated in the name of my mill. Keeping in mind the loss of about two lakh taka, I have supplied the entire allocated rice to the food warehouse.’
Anwarul Haque Anu, Director, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Joypurhat, where the current cost of producing one kilogram of rice is 58 taka and the government has fixed it at 47 taka. The chamber leaders warned that the government’s decision will be reversed and the oppression of businessmen will stop.
KM Layek Ali, Senior Vice President, Bangladesh Auto Major and Hasking Honors Association. The business leader warned that if the government’s decision is not canceled, strict action will be taken.
Shahabuddin Ahmed, LSD officer, Joypurhat Sadar, Joypurhat, told Daily Present Time that we are going to Milan and we are also motivating ourselves to increase the stock and collect more outside.
Joypurhat District Food Controller Md. Kamal Hossain told Daily Present Time that 60 rice mill owners did not sign an agreement with the government for the supply of parboiled rice during the current Aman season. These rice mill owners were given a notice with a time limit to sign the agreement. Only five rice mill owners expressed interest in supplying rice within the stipulated time of the notice. Their rice supply agreement is under process. The registration, electricity connection and food grain registration of the 55 rice mill owners who did not sign the agreement will be cancelled as per the ministry’s policy.
The Food Department has cancelled the licenses of 60 mills out of 271 mills for the procurement of rice during the Aman season in Joypurhat district. Of this, 81 percent of rice has been collected at a loss. Although 81 percent of the 11,286 metric tons of rice has been collected, the collection of 4,839 metric tons of paddy is still at zero.
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