Govt to buy rice from blacklisted millers as well

The government will buy rice from blacklisted millers as well in the coming boro season to meet the procurement target, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said yesterday.

A target has been set to buy 9 lakh tonnes of rice and 1.5 lakh tonnes of paddy in the season.

In 2017, the government blacklisted some millers for two years as they breached contracts to make quick bucks by creating a false crisis after a flood-induced crop loss.      

The government did not purchase anything from the blacklisted millers in the last Aus and Aman seasons, the minister said. “But this time, we don't want to frustrate anybody. A decision in principle has been taken to buy Boro rice from them.”

Islam spoke at a meeting with the food officials at the Directorate General of Food, the food ministry said in a statement.

During the procurement drive from May 2 to August 31, the government will pay Tk 38 for each kilogram of rice, a 12 percent year-on-year rise. The food reserve has hit 12 lakh tonnes, a 20-year high, he said.