It would take another week for rice prices to fall in the capital. According to some wholesalers in the capital, they are now selling old stock. Prices will go down after fresh supplies arrive within a week. In border and rural areas prices have already dropped by Tk. 5–7 per kg. The district authorities are continuing their drive against illegal rice hoarders. As part of the drive, 4,000 tonnes of rice have been seized by a mobile court from a warehouse in Chittagong, and five rice traders of Gazipur have been fined Tk. 50,000. "Rice importers suspended supply to us because of the price hike. Now they are resuming supply and the rice will reach our godown within a week. We hope that prices will go down further next week after fresh imported stocks arrive,” Md Polash, owner of Sumaya Rice Trading, told The Independent yesterday (Thursday).

Chitta Ranjan Saha, a rice trader of Mirpur-1, said they are selling BR-28 and 29 at Tk. 2,600-2,650 per maund. It was Tk. 2,700 on Tuesday.

Deepak Chandra Paul, a wholesaler of Madhupur in Tangail, said: “We are selling Nazirshail at Tk. 2,800 per maund. It was Tk. 3,200 on Tuesday.”

He also said that prices of coarse rice BR-28 and 29 varieties have been lowered to Tk. 300 per bag of 50kg.

“We are selling BR-28 and 29 varieties at Tk. 2,400 per maund. These were sold at Tk. 2,700 on Tuesday,” he said in reply to a query.

Siddique Hossain Khan, president of the Madhupur Rice Mill Owners' Association, said prices of a kg of BR 28 and 29 varieties have been lowered by at least Tk.4–5. Prices of all rice varieties will go down further within a few days, he added.

Our Chittagong correspondent adds: A mobile court, headed by executive magistrate Syed Murad Ali, seized 4,000 tonnes of rice from a warehouse in Chittagong yesterday. The mobile court conducted the drive at Chittagong city’s Ahmed Trading godown around 2:00pm and seized 80,000 sacks of rice.

The magistrate said they have seized the rice as the trading company, Masud and Brothers, stocked the rice in their godown for the last 39 days in a bid to create an artificial crisis in the market. They sealed the godown and gave its custody to Pahartali police station, he added. The mobile team detained Masud and Brothers’ manager Abu Taher from the spot for interrogation, said the magistrate. Our Gazipur correspondent adds: Five rice traders were fined Tk. 50,000 in Gazipur as they failed to produce proper documents against their stocked rice. The mobile team did not find price lists displayed at their respective enterprises during the raids.

Gazipur district marketing officer, Abdus Salam, said a mobile court, headed by Gazipur Sadar upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), Mohammed Ashraf Uddin, conducted the drive at different rice godowns. The mobile court fined the five traders Tk. 10,000 each for violating the government’s order. The fined traders were Mohammed Ali, owner of Hazi Store, Rakibul Hasan, owner of Maruf Store, Mohammed Raihan, owner of Raihan Store, Swapon Chandra Ghosh, owner of Rajabari Store, and Amanullah Aman, owner of Afzal Store. Rice prices started increasing as paddy crops in the "haor" (wetlands) areas were damaged in the recents floods. Besides, crops over large areas were also damaged due to attack by "blast" diseases. The government has allowed the use of plastic bags to import rice instead of jute sacks.