15 lakh tonne shortfall in rice production likely

The government is apprehending a shortfall of at least 15 lakh tonnes in rice production this year due to the damage caused to Boro crops by flash floods in the haor region and other parts of the country.
When asked, food minister Qamrul Islam said: “We are apprehending a shortage of at least 15 lakh tonnes of rice this year because of the flash floods. But it won’t be a problem. The shortage will be made up by public sector rice imports.”
The minister was taking questions from reporters at Khadya Bhaban yesterday.
“At least 15 lakh tonnes of rice could be imported by the private sector if there is no tariff. A importer has to pay 25% tariff for importing rice. Rice importers have demanded immediate withdrawal of the tariff. Their demand will be considered in time,” he said while replying to a question. 
In another move, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the disaster management and relief ministry, chaired by Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.
“We have included 50,000 fishermen under our VGF programmes in the haor districts. A total of 380,000 families will get 30 kg of rice and Tk. 500 cash per month till July,” Maya, the minister for disaster management and relief, told reporters after the meeting.
According to Maya, about 8.50 lakh families in Sunamganj, Sylhet, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar have been directly affected by the recent flash floods. “Boro crops on 249,860 hecatres have been completely damaged in the haor areas. Besides, 18,205 homes are also affected,” the minister said in reply to a query.
The farmers have lost 623,379 tonnes of Boro crops in the haor areas due to the flash floods, he added.
“Stern action will be taken against anyone found involved in malpractices in the distribution of relief materials in the haor areas,” the minister warned while responding to a question from The Independent.
He also requested NGOs to freeze their instalments for a year against previous loans in view of the misery of the haor people. He urged them to disburse fresh loans, free of interest, among the affected people.
The government is considering to waiver the electricity bills of haor people for a year, he said.
The government has already allocated Tk 82.07 crore for the affected people in the six haor districts. 

 

15 lakh tonne shortfall in rice production likely

The government is apprehending a shortfall of at least 15 lakh tonnes in rice production this year due to the damage caused to Boro crops by flash floods in the haor region and other parts of the country. When asked, food minister Qamrul Islam said: We are apprehending a shortage of at least 15 lakh tonnes of rice this year because of the flash floods. But it wont be a problem. The shortage will be made up by public sector rice imports. The minister was taking questions from reporters at Khadya Bhaban yesterday. At least 15 lakh tonnes of rice could be imported by the private sector if there is no tariff. A importer has to pay 25% tariff for importing rice. Rice importers have demanded immediate withdrawal of the tariff. Their demand will be considered in time, he said while replying to a question. In another move, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the disaster management and relief ministry, chaired by Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya. We have included 50,000 fishermen under our VGF programmes in the haor districts. A total of 380,000 families will get 30 kg of rice and Tk. 500 cash per month till July, Maya, the minister for disaster management and relief, told reporters after the meeting. According to Maya, about 8.50 lakh families in Sunamganj, Sylhet, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar have been directly affected by the recent flash floods. Boro crops on 249,860 hecatres have been completely damaged in the haor areas. Besides, 18,205 homes are also affected, the minister said in reply to a query. The farmers have lost 623,379 tonnes of Boro crops in the haor areas due to the flash floods, he added. Stern action will be taken against anyone found involved in malpractices in the distribution of relief materials in the haor areas, the minister warned while responding to a question from The Independent. He also requested NGOs to freeze their instalments for a year against previous loans in view of the misery of the haor people. He urged them to disburse fresh loans, free of interest, among the affected people. The government is considering to waiver the electricity bills of haor people for a year, he said. The government has already allocated Tk 82.07 crore for the affected people in the six haor districts.