The food ministry has carried out anti-hoarding drives in Dhaka and across the country to prevent offences against consumers' interests. More than 100 businesses were fined Tk 21 lakh for illegally stockpiling paddy and rice.

The information came from food ministry sources on Monday (22 January).

The food ministry said drives were carried out at a total of 26 businesses, including five wholesale depots and shops, in Tangail district of Dhaka division. Various businesses were fined a total of Tk 1 lakh 99 thousand for illegal stocks of rice and paddy and for trading without licences.

In Bagharpara upazila of Jashore district in Khulna division, four businesses were inspected and three of them fined Tk 16,000 for not having licences. Six businesses were inspected in Narail Sadar upazila, where one was fined Tk 7,000 in connection with its licence, and two businesses in Chuadanga were fined Tk 6,000.

In Cumilla district of Chattogram division, a joint anti-hoarding drive was carried out by the food department, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and the Department of Agricultural Marketing. Two businesses were fined Tk 6,000 under the consumer rights law for not displaying price lists.

The same agencies ran a joint drive at five rice mills in Laksam upazila of Cumilla. Laksam Auto Rice Mill was fined Tk 2 lakh under Section 44 of the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009 for preparing 700 sacks of rice using the names of various brands from Dinajpur, Bogura and Kushtia. Al-Amin Auto Rice Mill was fined Tk 40,000 for stocking 200 sacks of rice under the Nurjahan brand name.

The mills were also instructed to obtain food grain licences within the next two days and to refrain from such fraudulent practices in future. Elsewhere in Chattogram division, two businesses in Cox's Bazar were fined Tk 17,000.

In Naogaon, Rajshahi division, 37 mills were fined a total of Tk 14 lakh 90 thousand 500 for various irregularities. In Chapainawabganj, 23 businesses were fined Tk 50,000, and in Sirajganj a rice mill was fined Tk 50,000.

In Bogura, 81 rice mills were inspected, and eight mill owners were fined a total of Tk 41,000 for not having food grain licences and price lists. In Jaypurhat, several shops were fined Tk 35,000 for not displaying price lists.

In Thakurgaon Sadar upazila of Rangpur division, drives were carried out at seven automatic rice mills and one wholesale depot. M/s Machhranga Automatic Chalkal was fined Tk 50,000 after 120 tonnes of rice were found stocked beyond its permitted limit. M/s JS Automatic Rice Mill was fined Tk 50,000 after discrepancies were found in its paddy and rice stocks.

In Dinajpur, another district of the division, drives were carried out at eight automatic rice mills and three wholesale depots. No abnormal stock was found, but one trader was fined Tk 20,000 for buying and selling rice in plastic sacks and a retailer was fined Tk 1,000 for trading without a licence.

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