Government official and traders have expressed mixed reactions over the price hikes of rice in Khulna as both sides provide contradictory information.
However, low-income people are bearing the brunt of price hike as they struggle to meet their basic needs.
Despite bumper yields in the last Boro season and imports from outside the country, rice prices in Khulna have spiralled out of control, leaving consumers worried.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, Khulna produced 3,00,000 tonnes of Boro paddy this year, marking a bumper production.
The food department has also been selling rice under the open market sale programme five days a week across Khulna city鈥檚 31 wards, two municipalities and nine upazilas.
Each ward receives one tonne of rice daily which will continue until new harvests arrive.
It is learned that the government warehouses in the district hold 84,000 tonnes of rice. Imports are also ongoing whereas 50,000 tonnes of rice were unloaded from Pakistan in July at Chittagong Port while the country received 12,000 tonnes from India through Benapole and Bhomra land ports between June and August.
The government even reduced import duty from 25 per cent to 15 per cent to stabilise the local market.
Despite huge stock, consumers are facing abnormal prices, with rice selling between Tk 53 and Tk 80 a kilogram, hitting daily life.
Md Zakir Hossain, assistant food controller of Khulna district, said coarse rice is selling at Tk 53鈥�55, medium at Tk 57鈥�61, Atap at Tk 48鈥�50 and fine rice at Tk 73鈥�74 a kilogram.
He, however, claimed the rice market is falling as rice is being sold through the OMS.
There have been allegations that traders provide wrong information to journalists when they visit the market, finding a disparity between the government data and traders.
The owners of Annpunyo Traders and Halim Bhandar in Boro Bazar of Khulna city told this reporter during a visit to the market, that coarse rice is selling for Tk 47鈥�50, imported varieties for Tk 50鈥�56, Atap for Tk 42鈥�45, fine rice for Tk 50鈥�54, and local premium rice for Tk 54鈥�58 a kilogram.
Some traders reported Paijam rice being sold as high as Tk 80 a kilogram.
Small traders and consumers blame corporate houses and large auto rice mill owners for stockpiling paddy after the harvest to manipulate supply and raise prices.
鈥楩armers sell their crops immediately after harvest but corporate groups hoard paddy and later release rice at higher prices, hurting both consumers and small traders,鈥� said Mojaher Ali, a farmer from Kharnia village in Dumuria.
