The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The government rice procurement timeframe has been extended for another 10 days from November 1 to November 10 as rice mill owners couldn't provide rice to the government go-downs within the schedule.

The timeframe for procurement of 11.6 lakh tonnes of rice has been extended for the fourth time, according to Food Ministry sources.

The government has fixed the procurement target at 12 lakh tonnes of rice and three lakh tonnes of paddy from April 15. Despite extending the timeframe for another 10 days to achieve its target, the government has so far procured 10,60,000 tonnes of rice and 46,000 tonnes of paddy only.

A senior official of the directorate of food told the New Nation that a total of 2,015 rice mills owners, including 160 auto rice mills and 1855 other

mills have contacted them to provide their rice.

"Ten percent of rice mills owners couldn't provide us rice due to bad weather last one month," he added.

"The authority has extended the rice procurement target for collecting the rest of contracted one-lakh tonnes of rice," he further said.

"We are not contacting new rice mill owners to procure rice during the extended time," he further said.

About 7,77,120 tonnes of rice have been collected till now from Rajshahi division which is alone slated to have supplied 8,02,391 tonnes of rice of the total procurement target.

The latest procurement figure of rice from the Dhaka division stands at 1,51,400 tonnes of rice out of 2,02488 tonnes. Procurement of rice from the Khulna division to-date is 1,16,400 tonnes against the target of 1,41,561 tonnes.

Besides, the procurement of rice from Chittagong, Sylhet and Barisal divisions are 11,000 tonnes, 4,000 tonnes and 2,075 tonnes respectively.

"We have now sufficient stock of rice. A total of 11.70 lakh tonnes out of the total capacity of 12.75 lakh tonnes have been stocked in government go-downs," another high official told the New Nation.