The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Expressing grave concern over the incredible price spiral of food grains, leaders of different political parties, including the BNP and Awami League, yesterday urged the Government to effectively intervene in the market to reduce the price of rice.

Taking to journalists separately, they suggested the Government to tap all avenues to address food shortage and build up emergency food stock both from the foreign and domestic sources.

Some of them recommended the Government to import rice and wheat through on the spot tender bypassing the official purchase manual in order to prevent food crisis in the country while some others called for massive OMS of rice at a subsidised rate.

Meanwhile, Acting Awami League (AL) President Zillur Rahman has called upon the Government to hold dialogue with political parties in order to find a solution to the staggering price hike of essentials, specially rice and wheat.

"The government should hold talks with political parties, except Jamaat. And we will join the talks only when Jamaat will be left out," he said at his Gulshan residence after exchanging views with leaders of Bangabandhu Shishu Kishore Parishad, a front organisation of the AL.

BNP Acting Secretary General and former Commerce Minister Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed and AL Presidium member and former Food and Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, however, were critical of Food and Disaster Management Adviser Tapan Chowdhury for his reported remark that the Government had nothing to do about the price hike of food grains.

BNP Acting Secretary General Major Hafiz said the Government couldn't shun its responsibility about abnormal behaviour of the market.

"The Government has to solve the price hike of rice and wheat…for it is their duty and there is no way for them to escape it," he said, suggesting the Government to import food grains on deferred payment and on the spot tender by passing the official purchase manual.

The former Commerce Minister also requested the Government to collect food grains from private importers to build an emergency food stock immediately.

AL Presidium member Begum Matia Chowdhury urged the Government to go for massive foodstuffs' OMS along with VGF, VGD and test relief programmes to reduce the market price of rice and wheat.

She wondered that the Government did not act on time to build food stock after the failure of the boro harvest and two successive floodings, when there was time to import rice at an affordable price.

She, however, acknowledged that the crop damage caused by the super cyclone Sidr was sudden and devastated.

Urging the Government to take all out effort to reduce food price, the former Food and Agriculture Minister advised the Advisers of the Caretaker Government to refrain from making such comments, which would encourage stockiest to manipulate the market.

Leaders of the Left Democratic Front, CPB, Workers Party, BSD (Khaleque), Islami Oikya Jote (Aminee) and National Peoples' Party in separate statement urged the Government to go for massive open market sale (OMS) of rice at a subsidised rate immediately.