Authorities raid controversial trader's mill again as rice price hike continues

The authorities have raided several rice mills including the one that was fined last week in Kushtia for hoarding food grains as the prices of rice in the retail market continue to rise.

The district administration officials, accompanied by police, raided the rice mill of Rashid Agro Food Products, owned by the controversial trader Abdur Rashid at Khajanagar on Sunday for the second time in a week.

Last Monday, the authorities fined Rashid's rice mill Tk 50,000 and seized 50 tonnes of rice for illegal warehousing amid an outcry over the rising prices.

Rashid is President of Bangladesh Rice Mill Owners' Association.

Food Minister Qamrul Islam on Thursday claimed the government was taking steps to control rice prices.

He mentioned the raid on Rashid's rice mill as an example of the measures.

Kushtia Additional Deputy Commission Habibur Rahman, who headed the drive on Sunday, told bdnews24.com the 'task force' will continue the raids to keep the market stable.

Many of the locals said they thought after seeing a huge number of police officials during the raid that they came to arrest Rashid.

Habibur, however, said he had no instruction on arresting the controversial trader.

A person close to Rashid's family told bdnews24.com that Rashid was not at the headquarters of his firm at Mazampur Gate when the authorities raided it before at Khajanagar.

Kushtia Superintendent of Police Mehedi Hasan and Sadar Upazila Executive Officer Ibadat Hossain, among other top officials in the district, were present.

The prices of rice started to rise again last month before the Eid-ul-Azha and a few months after another hike pushed by the damage to crops in the floods.

Facing criticism, the government said there was no shortage of rice in the country and that some dishonest traders manipulated the market.

Rashid Agro Food Products is one of the top choices for rice among the urban people.

After last week's raid on its mill in Kushtia, the price of Miniket rice increased by around Tk 400 per sack of 50kg until Friday. Prices of other verities of rice also shot up.

Rice traders in Dhaka are also blaming the mill owners for the price hike. They demanded immediate steps by the government to control the market.