In a desperate attempt to put the brakes on the ferocious spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the government has embarked on increasing the quantity of food stock with storing huge rice, wheat, pulses and other essentials.
The preparations to cope with any possible crisis period are designed to ensure steady supplies to the market and keep prices stable during the ongoing crisis.
The United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP) analysis said that, due to the outbreak of pandemic, the world will face a devastating scarcity of food grains, which may take the lives of three crore people.
However, in this prevailing situation, the country already has sufficient stock of food grains with reserving more for the days to come. Both government and private institutions have sufficient stock of food.
Prominent economists and the analysts said, besides the sufficient stock of food grains the government has to ensure proper transportation of goods in the country.
According to the Finance Ministry, the Finance Department has allocated Tk 720 crore in the revised budget for the current 2019-20 fiscal year to procure 200,000 tonnes of rice from internal sources on May 12. The amount was allocated from the unexpected expenditure management sector of the finance department to the rice procurement sector of the food ministry.
Earlier, an agreement was signed with the Russian Government to procure two lakh tonnes of paddy which is scheduled to arrive in the country within July this year. Concerned officials confirmed that the signed quantity will arrive in the country as per schedule as it was a G2G agreement.
In this regard, director-general of Food Department Sarwar Alam said, “We usually procure some food grains internally, as this year paddy yield was insufficient against the target, we are procuring seven lakh tonnes paddy from abroad”. He also said, “Procuring rice from internal source is a regular process. But, this year Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed us to procure more rice so that no farmers should be harmed in any way by producing paddy. If we collect rice and paddy in large volume, these commodities’ prices do not fall in the market”.
According to food ministry information, till May 12, the total stock of food grains in government warehouses was 12.78 lakh tonnes. Of the total, 9.92 lakh tonnes are rice and 2.86 lakh tonnes paddy. Comparing to the previous year, this year in the same period the government has stored an additional 34000 tonnes of food grains.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak said, the government would procure 20.25 lakh tonnes of food grains in the current season to ensure food security in the country. Of the total, the government will buy 10 lakh tonnes of paddy and 10 lakh tonnes rice.
According to agriculture ministry information, last year the government procured 16 lakh tonnes of food grains. Considering the ongoing crisis, the government, besides the additional 4.25 lakh tonnes, will procure two lakh tonnes of rice and two lakh tonnes of paddy more.
