The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed yesterday dismissed the propaganda that the nation was facing a crisis of rice.

"Where is the crisis? There is no crisis. Crisis has been created. Price has increased, but no crisis," he said while talking to journalists during a visit to city's main wholesale market of Karwan Bazar.

"An artificial crisis has been created," he said pointing his fingers to the abnormal price spiral of commodities, including the foodstuff, which allegedly manipulated by a section of unscrupulous businessmen.

Gen Moeen, who is backing the Caretaker Government as the top leader of the Armed Forces, opined that the people went on a panic buying of excess rice from the market.

"If one consumer buys four sacks of rice, a situation may crop up out of this pooling," he said and expressed the hope in an optimistic voice asserting, "Inshallah, there will be no problem, if we can tackle the situation within the next 20 days."

Seeking positive role from the media, the Army chief said it is the responsibility of all to stabilise the market prices. He advised the market association to monitor that same variety of rice is sold at the same price.

Gen Moeen said there is enough stock of rice with dealers. He viewed that there is no Indian rice--all of it is Bangladeshi rice."Millers are charging high, thereby causing the price hike."

The army chief expressed the optimism that this year there is going to be a good harvest of Boro rice.

About bumper production of potato, Gen Moeen said this year 80 lakh tons of potatoes were produced but there is capacity of preservation of only 20 lakh tons. He, advised people to change their food habit and eat rice along with potato everyday so that potato growers get fair price and be encouraged to cultivate potato next year too.

Director General of paramilitary BDR Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed, whose force is engaged in rationing rice and some other essentials under OMS, also said there is sufficient rice in the country with a stock of three months' provisions.

He said the Boro production is likely to exceed 1.70 crore tones and there is no reason to be worried.