Boro procurement suspended for space shortage in Naogaon
UNB
The Food Department has suspended purchasing Boro rice and paddy in 19 LSD godowns of the district due to space shortage in the government godowns during the peak time of food grains procurement, reports UNB.
Consequently, the mill owners and farmers are counting heavy losses. The mill owners and farmers fail to supply food grains to the 19 LSD godowns, including those in Naogaon Sadar, Mahadebpur, Manda, Badalgachhi and Raninagar due to the space shortage.
Sources at the districts Food Department office said the department set a target to procure 63,949 tonnes of rice and 6,228 tonnes of paddy in the current season. The government fixed Tk 32 and Tk 22 for each kilogram of rice and paddy respectively as per the official procurement rate. Besides, the officials concerned of the government food warehouses also signed agreements with 1,200 millers for supplying rice and paddy.
Accordingly, the mill owners started sending rice to the food warehouses from the second week of May. As there was enough open space in the godowns, 10/12 percent rice was supplied within two weeks.
In the meantime, the stocks pile up soon and created a space shortage within a few days. Toufiqul Islam Babu, president of the District Rice Mill Owners Association, said they were counting heavy losses for the Food Departments decision.
The traders bought paddy by taking bank loan but now they have to keep their rice in their own godowns which causes a trouble for them to bear the production cost, workers wages and other additional expenses, he said.
Instead of gaining profit, the traders are facing trouble as the Food Department has issued a notice to keep their trading suspended in all the 19 food godowns from June 19, he added.
Arun Kumar Pramanik, acting officer of Naogaon Sadar food godown, said the warehouse has a capacity of storing 7000 tonnes of rice and paddy.
Although there had been a deal to buy 389 tonnes of paddy, they failed to buy paddy from the farmers due to space shortage, Arun added.
However, 52 percent rice has been purchased under the government food procurement programme, he said.
Admitting the space shortage in the food warehouses, district food controller Anwar Hossain, said there are 19 government food warehouses in the 11 upazilas of the district with a capacity of 39,250 tonnes.
But as the target of food procurement has been extended against the capacity, they are facing the shortage problem during the current Boro season.
During the government drive of food procurement, they shifted the food crops to another district through internal schedule, he said.
They have already shifted some food grains to Santahar CSD food godown in Bogra, which is far less than the amount collected, he added.He also urged the farmers and rice traders not to be frustrated as the Food Department has suspended food procurement only for ten days.
Already, they have purchased 60 percent rice of the total target and the rest 40 percent will be purchased soon in the next two months, he said.
He hoped that the higher authorities will take steps to clear the go-downs crammed with previous stocks of food grains and help achieve the target of Boro procurement after Eid-ul-Fitr.
