In order to increase storage capacity of harvested rice, the government has decided to build 200 silos at 190 upazilas in 60 districts of the country. A project proposal has been prepared by the Food Ministry and this initiative would also ensure protection of farmers’ interests by preserving the rice for a longer period of time, expert said.
Food ministry sources said after a thorough review, the ministry sent a detailed project plan (DPP) to the Planning Commission on August 21. Once approved by the commission, the Tk 6003 crore project proposal would be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for its nod.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder told the media: “Farmers cannot husk and preserve the paddy for long during natural calamities like flood and cyclone. Every year they incur huge losses. One day, they might lose interest in cultivation, if the price fall continues and happens every year, which would affect the country’s food security ultimately.”
Considering the fate of the country’s economic backbone, he continued, the government has decided to develop the infrastructure of rice storage capacity, building 200 5000MT-capacity silos across the country. Mentionable, during the last Boro harvest few months ago, the country’s farmers incurred huge losses, as prices offered at wholesale markets did not even cover the production cost. The farmers do not have any storage capacity of their own. As a result, during Aman and Boro harvest paddy supply to markets increase to such a huge extent that the prices fall drastically, depriving the farmers of their fair share.
Ministry officials hoped, if everything goes according to plan, construction of would start by the end of this year. They said implementation of the project, being funded wholly by the government, is scheduled to end by June 2021. Sources said over 100 government officials have already started lobbying with food ministry, public administration ministry and prime minister’s office, to get the project director post of the project.
According to the DPP, a paddy drying plant with the capacity to dry 10 tonnes paddy per hour would be constructed with each silo. A 60-tonne capacity truck scale would be set up in each of the silo, besides conveying system, bucket elevator and bulk weight machine. Around 22 acres of land would be acquired for the construction of 62 silos out of the 200. Rest of the silos would be built on government lands.
At present, Food Department stores its paddy rice and wheat at different warehouses. There are 7 silos, 12 CSD and 632 LSD warehouses under the department with 21,48,000 MT storage capacity altogether. The proposed 200 silos would add more 10,00,000MT storage capacity to the present.