Rice procurement drive in Thakurgaon suspended

All the 12 LSD godowns of the district have temporarily suspended receiving rice under the government's procurement drive in the current Irri-boro season due to space shortage, much to the worry of the farmers and rice mill owners.

The procurement drive that was scheduled to officially start on May 1 practically began on May 25 with a target to procure 67,622 tonnes of rice and 1,259 tonnes of paddy.

The procurement drive will continue till October 31.  

Only 15,168 tonnes of rice has been procured till June 23 and it has been temporarily suspended due to space crisis, District Food Controller Chowdhury Mosabber Hossain said.  

The 12 LSD godowns in the district have a capacity to preserve 42,000 tonnes of food grains, official sources said.

Besides, additional 25 per cent food grain can be preserved in urgent situations, they said.    

The Irri-boro farmers of Thakurgaon district were deprived of fair prices during the last harvesting season of the crop.

Now the slow procurement drive has added to the situation, several farmers said.    

Rice mill owners who signed contact with the food department to supply rice are also worried about counting losses due to the slow progress in the rice procurement drive.   

"If rice procurement is not expedited by making early arrangement of space we will have to count loss for additional preservation cost as well as keeping our cash idle for long," Mahmud Hasan Raju, president of Thakurgaon Rice Mills Owners' Association.

District Food Controller Chowdhury Mosabber Hossain said the procurement drive will resume soon by freeing space of the godowns.