Rice Price: Qamrul faces the music

A parliamentary body yesterday came down heavily on Food Minister Qamrul Islam for his ministry's failure in taking proper measures to control the soaring price of rice.

The parliamentary standing committee on food remained unconvinced by the minister's arguments behind the price hike placed before the committee members.

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The parliamentary watchdog suggested that the ministry formulate a “food stock policy” on an emergency basis as part of the ministry's move to keep price of food products under control.

“We were not satisfied with the minister's many explanations following the committee members' queries about why the ministry had failed to control the price of rice,” Abdul Wadud, chief of the Jatiya Sangsad body, told The Daily Star.

“We have told the minister that the government as well as lawmakers earned a bad name and faced questions from people due to the price hike of rice. We think the government could have avoided the criticism if the ministry concerned acted promptly and in a coordinated manner,” he added.

Wadud, also a ruling Awami League lawmaker, said the committee members told the minister that the ministry would have to take responsibility for its failure to bring soaring price of rice under control.

Committee sources said AL lawmaker Fazle Nur Taposh, who was present at the meeting, grilled the food minister on the failure despite the standing committees' call to take measures in this regard.

The committee asked the ministry high officials to work in a coordinated manner and take decision promptly in future to keep price stable and thus prevent vested quarters from hiking prices.

Asked what the minister said about the price rise, the committee chairman said he mainly pointed to the flash flood in haor areas as a reason behind the price hike of rice.

“But the committee members were not pleased with his explanation as there was adequate amount of rice at the government silos. Vested groups had spread propaganda that there is not adequate rice stock at the silos and a section of businessmen used this as a pretext to hike the price of rice,” he said, adding, the ministry failed to take action against this.