The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The government has already taken steps to import 10 lakh tonnes of rice from different rice exporting countries, including India, Thailand and Vietnam to reduce the price hike.

Disclosing this, Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday said of the 10-lakh tones of rice that would be imported, contract was already signed for four- lakh tones and soon agreement would be signed for the rest six-lakh tones.

A high level official delegation will visit India this week to finalise the import of five-lakh tones of rice while about two lakh tones will be imported from Thailand. Rice will also be imported from Vietnam. Besides, imported rice has already started coming to the country, he added. The Chief Adviser said this while inaugurating the Conference-2008 of Representatives of the Local Government Institutions at National Parade Square in the capital.

The soaring price of rice is likely to come down as numerous initiatives have been taken by the government and different countries have expressed their willingness to export the cereal to Bangladesh at rational price.

Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury Friday spoke to Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on planned purchase of rice from India.

The Adviser informed the Indian Minister that an official negotiating team would visit India soon in this regard, a foreign ministry release said.

The state-owned trading firm State Trading Corporation (STC) of India and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) have already invited bids for supply of pre-boiled and white rice to Bangladesh.

The bids would close on January 8 and the decision on the tender would be taken on the same day, STC said.

The suppliers should have exported a minimum 50,000 tonnes during calendar year 2007, STC and NAFED said on their websites. On Thursday Bangladesh has imported 100,000 tones of rice from India at more than US$400 a ton.

A huge quantity of rice is entering Bangladesh through different land ports, border sources said. Hundreds of trucks of rice are now waiting at Petrapol port of India to enter Bangladesh.

The soaring of price of rice halted on Friday after climbing to Tk 34 per kilogram of low quality coarse rice. Price of per kg of rice rose by Tk 9 to 10 over the month. However, on Friday price of rice fell by Tk 0.50 per kg in the local market.

According to the trading corporation of Bangladesh, price of rice rose by 65 to 77 per cent over the year.