No more manoeuvre with rice

Due to inflation, a situation has arisen in the country resembling the suffocation of the common people. In the consumer market, prices of all daily necessities, starting from rice, are being sold at higher prices. Within this, the syndicate cycle sometimes raises the prices of rice, sometimes potatoes, sometimes edible oil, sometimes eggs, and at other times, it escalates the cost of sugar, siphoning off billions from the market.

In such a distressing situation, on January 22, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in an emergency meeting of the Awami League's executive committee, described the sudden increase in rice prices as unusual. She further stated, "We have made efforts to increase domestic production, resulting in improved crops. Rice production has increased. However, the sudden price hike in the market after the election is a very abnormal situation. It is necessary to investigate who is behind this and find out their motives. Not only identification but also immediate measures need to be taken against them. We welcome the Prime Minister's statement. Along with that, we would like to say that taking immediate measures against unscrupulous businessmen is not enough; there should be a permanent solution by identifying and taking continuous actions against them. This is to ensure that they do not repeatedly exploit the consumers in the country.

We have seen in the past that the government has taken many initiatives to reduce the prices of daily commodities including rice, but those initiatives have not been successful. And for this reason, the introduction of OMS at a low price and the opportunity to import rice to the private sector by reducing the duty phase by phase did not get any benefit. In this situation, the government has also taken initiatives to import rice. The question is, how long will the tricksters continue their unethical business by holding people hostage? There are allegations that due to collusion with corrupt officials involved in market surveillance, unscrupulous businessmen are managing to continue their unethical practices.

Various forms of extortion are taking place in the rice market in the country. Rice is being sold under names that have no existence in the world of rice. Additionally, rice is being sold under different names by cutting it with machines to change its texture. Dropping the outer layer of rice causes a loss of its nutritional value. As a result, consumers are deprived of the natural nutritional qualities of rice when they consume polished rice. The machines used to polish rice, which turn coarse rice into fine rice, are indeed expensive. Rice mill owners invest significant amounts in various techniques, collecting revenue directly from consumers. The question is, what are they doing who are supposed to monitor this?

Therefore, experts have advised identifying the unscrupulous members of the rice syndicate in market regulation and bringing them under strict punishment. There is doubt whether the instability in the rice market will decrease if all stakeholders, including importers, wholesalers, and retailers, are not held accountable with strict responsibility. Therefore, not only for rice but for any essential daily commodity, especially perishable goods, the authorities need to be even more stringent to prevent unscrupulous businessmen from selling them at higher prices.