Eight officials of the Directorate General of Food have been given responsibility for the procurement of Boro paddy and rice from the domestic market this season. They will oversee procurement in the eight divisions under the Internal Food Grain Procurement Policy, 2017. The Directorate recently issued an office order assigning the duties.

• Dhaka: Md Jamal Hossain, director (administration division)
• Barishal: FM Mizanur Rahman, director (training division)
• Mymensingh: Reza Mohammad Mohsin, director (supply, distribution and marketing division)
• Rangpur: Md Moniruzzaman, director (procurement division)
• Rajshahi: Md Mahbubur Rahman, director (movement, storage and silo division)
• Sylhet: Md Tajul Islam, director (inspection, development and technical services division)
• Khulna: Md Abdus Salam, director (accounts and finance division)
• Chattogram: Md Main Uddin, additional director

The supervising officers will inspect the LSDs and CSDs in every district of their division and check the quality of the paddy, boiled rice and atap (sun-dried) rice procured, and the stocks of paddy, rice and wheat, among other things. The office order says they will report to the director general on whether procurement is being carried out in line with the Internal Food Grain Procurement Policy and other directives.

It also says they will check and give their opinion on the quality of the sacks received at the LSDs and CSDs from private manufacturers and private sources. They will check whether the sacks of procured grain have been stencilled as instructed, and, where applicable, whether paddy and rice are being bought through the farmers' app and FPS.

Besides inspections, they will hold weekly and fortnightly discussions with the regional food controllers and district food controllers of the division and give the advice needed to meet procurement targets. The office order says the additional director general will monitor the overall Boro paddy and rice procurement.

The government will buy 17 lakh tonnes of paddy and rice in the Boro season. Targets have been set at 5 lakh tonnes of paddy, 11 lakh tonnes of boiled rice and 1 lakh tonnes of atap rice. Procurement prices have been set at Tk 32 a kg for paddy, Tk 45 for boiled rice and Tk 44 for atap rice.

Procurement of paddy and rice began on 7 May and will continue until 31 August.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.