FBD Desk:

Rising prices of rice and flour have taken a toll. As a result, low-income people are rushing to the Food Department’s OMS (Open Market Sale) to buy these two essential products at a slightly lower price. The dealers are struggling to meet the demand of the buyers.

Talking to dealers in different parts of the capital where OMS has been allotted rice and flour, it is learned that the pressure from buyers has been high for a month. The rice and flour they are getting is being sold in a short time.

Dealers claim that the amount received is less than the demand of the buyers. At present, a dealer is allotted a maximum of 1.5 metric tonnes of rice and one metric ton of flour. By increasing the amount of this allocation, the demand of the buyers can be met.

A search in different markets of the capital has shown that at present, a kg of thin rice below Rs 65 does not match. And the ‘rice of the poor’ has reached Rs 50 per kg.

According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), the price of chikon rice has gone up by 9.62 per cent in a month. The price of medium quality rice has increased by 19.35 percent. The price of coarse rice has increased by 12.94 percent.

On the other hand, in the last one month, the price of open flour has decreased by 3.33 percent and now it is being sold at Tk 28-30 per kg, said TCB. However, according to the information given by the retailers of the capital, at present the open flour is being sold at Rs 32 to 34 per kg.

Low-income people are eating rice and flour at such prices in the market. That is why they are rushing in OMS trucks to buy rice at Tk 30 per kg and flour at Tk 18 per kg. Some are standing in line at the designated place just hours before OMS starts selling rice and flour.Such scenes have been seen in every area of ​​Rampura, Jatrabari, Mirpur, Khilgaon.

Amena Begum, who stood in line for OMS rice at Malibagh Hajipara Bau Bazar, said, “I stood in line for rice at 8 am. The sale of rice started around 10 o’clock. We had to stand in line for three hours for five kg of rice. I was able to buy rice even after that, I am happy about that.

He added that one kg of rice is not available in the market below Rs 50 now. It is very difficult for us to buy rice at such a high price with the monthly salary we get from working in a garment factory. So if we didn’t sell rice in the truck like this, we would have a lot of trouble.

Anwar Hossain, who came from Khilgaon to buy OMS rice and flour, said the sale of rice and flour does not start here till 10 am. If sales started at 9 o’clock, it would be good for us. Because, there is office in the morning. As a result, some days I can’t buy from the truck. Then they are forced to buy from the market with higher prices.

Monir Hossain, a rickshaw puller who bought OMS rice from Jatrabari, said the prices of everything in the market were unusual. There is no relief in rice, oil, flour. In a word, low income people like us are in inhuman suffering. The Food Department is getting some protection by selling rice and flour in trucks.

He added that one has to stand in line for at least three hours for this rice and flour. If the sales of rice and flour had been increased through OMS, I would have had the opportunity to earn some extra income by renting a rickshaw.

If you want to know about the situation of selling rice and flour, said Jurain’s OMS dealer. Azharul Islam told that there is a lot of demand from buyers for rice and flour now. I get 1,200 kg of rice and 1,000 kg of flour. The rice and flour are sold at a glance. The demand of the buyers will be met in one day even if they give me three metric tons (3000 kg) of rice.

Maruf Hasan Masum, a rice dealer at Mirhajirbagh in Jatrabari, said rice and flour are now very expensive in the market. That is why low-income people are rushing to buy OMS rice. For a month now we have been seeing huge demand for rice flour. Many come at 8 in the morning and stand in line. As soon as the goods arrive in the truck, we start selling. Usually 9:30 to 10 o’clock to start selling.

Rafiqul Islam, a dealer in South Khilgaon, who was allotted 1.5 metric tonnes of rice and one metric ton of flour, said, “We have to work hard to sell rice and flour according to the demand of the buyers.” We have demanded the concerned to increase the allocation.

Tushar Ahmed, a dealer in Hazaribagh, said, “I have been allotted one and a half metric tons of rice and one metric ton of flour.” I finished selling this rice flour before noon. Countless people lined up before the sale began. We try to sell quickly with extra staff.

Asked about the overall situation, Director General of the Food Department Sarwar Mahmud told, “We have a fair stock.” There are reserves needed to deal with emergencies. And we are taking other measures to deal with the market. Arranging for import. In the new year we will try to increase stocks further.(Source: Online)