Govt fixes Aman procurement at Tk 33 per kg

The government plans to procure an additional 100,000 tonnes of Aman rice to strengthen the country's buffer stocks.

Food Minister Qamrul Islam told reporters at the Secretariat that the government will procure 300,000 tonnes of Aman rice, 100,000 tonnes more than procurement during the last Aman season.

The procurement will take place between Dec 1 and Mar 15.

 The government has fixed a price of Tk 33 per kilogram for procurement of the rice, Minister Qamrul said.

"Producing each kilo of Aman rice paddy costs farmers Tk 19. Processing it into rice will take the cost upto Tk 29 per kg. So we will procure the rice at Tk 33 per kilogram," Qamrul said.

Last year the government procured 200,000 tonnes of Aman rice at Tk 31 per kilo, he said.

The government will be procuring rice from husking mills for the last time this year because the factories repeatedly ignored instructions to convert to automatic or semi-automatic production, Qamrul said.

“Despite repeated instructions, husking mills have not shifted to automatic or semi-automatic production.” he said.

“As a result we have decided that this will be the last time we procure rice from husking mills. We will not do so in the coming Boro season. This decision is final.”

Current food reserves stand at 800,000 tonnes, 1.5 million tonnes less than last year. But the food minister said there was nothing worrying about  the fall in reserves.

“Last year’s stock was unusually high,” he said. “This year we have the necessary amount. Our Test Relief and Food for Work programs now deliver cash aid, not food aid. Those programs needed around 800,000 tonnes of rice. So our reserves are satisfactory.”

The rice reserves would not interfere with the 'Tk 10 rice program' for the ultra poor, said the minister.

“Around 750,000 tonnes are required for the program, but not all of it is required at once. The government will be procuring more rice as it is distributed. Reserves will need to be maintained according to the calculations. But those who claim there aren’t enough reserves are wrong.”