More rice mill-chatal closed in Kurigram Rice price increased

Khandaker Mahfuz Tutor:

The price of rice has been increasing more in Kurigram. The flow of supplying rice is being limited than the demand. The supply of rice to the local market is being stopped. Due to rice supply the rice mill-chatal are to be closed one by one. At least 4 hundreds rice mill-chatal of 520 have been closed by one and half months ago. As a result, thousands of day labourer become workless. The family members of those labourers are living sub-standard life. Besides this, the price of parboiled rice is increasing in local market day by day.

While visiting some local market, daylobourer, ricksaw pullers, Umar Ali (48), Aumal Chandra (40), Mozahar (55) and Shahidul Islam (30) told that they have gradually lost their ability to bye the rice as their need to food.

Rice mill worker Abdul Hamid (38) of Munshipara under Kurigram municipality told that he has been living sub standard life with his family due to rice mill vacant. Other workers of those mills are in same condition.

President of district rice mill owner’s association, Md. Saber Hossain told that the production of paddy was bumper in last boro season. But now the rice is being sold about Taka 870 to 920 per mound. The rice is not available in local market.

The businessmen from different area of the country were bought more rice from local mill of Kurigram from the very beginning of the season. But the local miller could not able to preserve more rice due to lacking of money. They have supplied rice to the government godown which they bought. So, their godowns are empty, he added.

Md. Rafiqul Islam Shahi, owner of a mill, told that daily need of rice in his mill about 250 to 300 mounds. But the mill has closed due to poor supply of rice. Not that,at least 13 of 15 rice mill-chatals in BSIC industrial area are now closed due to poor supply of rice.

The rice merchant of Kurigram Zia bazar, Babla Ghosh told that the local rice merchants could not get rice from local mill-chatal. They are trying to stabilize market by preserving rice which they bought from Naogon,

Setabgonj, Dinajpur and other areas of the country. It is one of the causes to increasing the price of rice. The coarse rice is selling at taka 32 to 35 per kg in Kurigram.

District Food Control Officer, Abdus Salam told that the numbers of mill-chatal are closed here due to poor supply of rice. The price of rice is lightly excessive.