Eight officials have been assigned to monitor progress towards paddy and rice procurement targets in the country's eight divisions during the government's domestic Aman procurement season. The food ministry recently issued an office order giving them the responsibility.

Pradip Kumar Das, additional secretary of the ministry's administration wing, has been given Dhaka; A K M Mamunur Rashid, joint secretary (administration-2 branch), Chattogram; Md Sohelur Rahman Khan, joint secretary (planning wing), Rajshahi; S M Nazim Uddin, joint secretary (safe food wing), Khulna; Md Lutfar Rahman, joint secretary (administration-1 branch), Rangpur; Nasima Akter, joint secretary (supply branch), Mymensingh; Kul Pradip Chakma, deputy secretary (supply-1 section), Sylhet; and Md Abul Amin, deputy secretary (agency administration-1), Barishal division.

The order says the officials will hold weekly online meetings on procurement progress with an additional deputy commissioner nominated by the deputy commissioner, the regional food controller, the district food controller and others as needed, and will report progress to the ministry. The monitoring will continue for as long as the 2024-25 domestic Aman procurement runs.

Under a 6 November decision of the food planning and monitoring committee, 3.5 lakh tonnes of paddy will be bought directly from farmers through an app this Aman season, and 5.5 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice and 1 lakh tonnes of atap (sun-dried) rice will be procured from selected mills. Prices have been set at Tk 33 a kg for paddy, Tk 47 for parboiled rice and Tk 46 for atap rice. Paddy and parboiled rice will be procured from 17 November to 28 February, and atap rice from 17 November to 10 March.

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