Rice imports - A laudable initiative by the government
The recent decision of importing rice from Thailand, Vietnam and India to curb the soaring local prices is a commendable move by the government.
The flashfloods and the fungi attack have damaged almost 10 lakh tones of Boro crop in northeastern Bangladesh. Moreover, some unscrupulous millers and middlemen are hoarding rice deliberately to gain more money. Prices have gone up to 3-5 Tk per kg.
Importing sufficient rice from abroad will relieve the masses who are bearing the brunt of this price hike. But the government should also provide funding for agriculturists to do more research on developing rice varieties resistant to blast, so that we are better prepared for such disasters in the future.
Rupesh Chandra Das, University of Dhaka
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