The New Nation - Internet Edition

Shamim Jahangir

The six month long Boro rice procurement drive of the government fell short of target by one lakh and forty thousand tonnes despite extension of deadline for four times.

The government has procured 12.60 lakh tonnes of rice against the target of 14 lakh tonnes from April 15 to November 10, sources in the Directorate of Food said yesterday.

Of the total procurement, about 8,29,215 tonnes of rice came from Rajshahi division, 1,61,469 tonnes from Dhaka division and 1,22,150 tonnes from Khulna division. Besides, the volume of procurement from the Chittagong, Sylhet and Barisal divisions stood at 12,259 tonnes, 4,190 tonnes and 80 tonnes respectively.

A senior official of the Directorate of Food told the New Nation that the bulk rice procured from 12,036 rice mills owners, including 160 auto rice mills. He expressed his satisfaction over the success of the procurement drive under the given circumstances.

The authorities have cancelled licences of 1,969 rice mills mostly in the country's northern areas for not selling rice and paddy to the government at the officially fixed rate.

"We have now sufficient stock of rice. A total of 11.60 lakh tonnes of rice out of the total capacity of 12.75 lakh tonnes have stocked in government go-downs," another high official told the New Nation. It was only seven lakh tonnes last year, he informed.

Meanwhile, the government has taken to procure Aman from November 25 at a price of Tk 26 for one kg of rice and Tk 16 for paddy.