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Download PDF The price of coarse rice rose further on both wholesale and retail markets in the capital yesterday while people continued to throng fair price outlets amid heavy downpour in desperate need of rice.
The OMS (open market sale) outlets yesterday sold out of rice within a few hours of opening.
The inclement weather in the afternoon could not prevent the rice-hungry people from gathering in large numbers at both the OMS and BDR-run outlets.
Although a thunderstorm forced the BDR to suspend the sale of rice for the time being, the rain-drenched crowd was unwavering and still standing in lines.
The wholesale price of Indian coarse rice including Swarna jumped by Tk 10 per maund yesterday, selling at Tk 1280 to Tk 1320 at the wholesale markets yesterday while the price of local varieties of coarse rice also hiked by Tk 10 to Tk 20.
Retail price of a kg of coarse rice rose by Tk 1 in the capital yesterday, selling at Tk 35 to Tk 40.
The retail price of fine rice also increased slightly at different markets in the city where a kg was selling between Tk 41 and Tk 46.
Mohammad Mohiuddin, a customer at East Rajabazar market, told The Daily Star that he had purchased Minikate, a medium variety of rice, for Tk 43 per kg a week ago, but the rice retailers yesterday were asking Tk 46 for a kg of the same rice.
A leader of Wholesale Rice Association at Badamtoli and Babubazar said there is no crisis of local rice in the market, but a crisis of Indian rice existed in the market.
There is no reason behind the price increase as the supply of rice is sufficient and new rice will reach the market by 15 days, he said.
The price hike of rice in rural markets and the rising prices of imported rice in the bordering areas are affecting the wholesale market in the capital, he added.
Meanwhile, some of the around 50 BDR outlets in the capital were found to be selling 4 kg of rice to each person instead of 5 kg.
At the BDR outlet in Nawabganj Park, around 100 people were seen standing in line for rice, braving the afternoon thunderstorm.
In the line, many of the women and their toddlers in their arms were seen shivering in the downpour.
Rabeya Begum from Bramhansur in Keraniganj came to the outlet with her 2-year-old child at 10:00am, she told this correspondent at 4:15pm while both the mother and the child shivered profusely.
“I’ve been standing here for six hours and more than 300 people were ahead of me. I could not head back home as I came a long way from home and it’s about my turn to get the rice,” she said.
The BDR outlets resumed sale of rice after the rain grew weaker at around 4:30pm.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:56 am
satan misbah is jumping very much. tell him to remain calm & to be practical, otherwise that son of swine may lose its existance very soon! first of all, the balls of that beast is going to be crushed into mash…