Bangladesh, Nov. 22 -- The Ministry of Food started this year's Aman rice procurement programme Wednesday last with food officials buying paddy in some areas where harvesting has already begun.
The deputy commissioners of a number of districts inaugurated the routine seasonal drive amidst a very wide price-gap between rice and paddy.
Though the prices of milled rice recorded a rise for no reasons during the past couple of weeks, the paddy prices stuck to their low levels. However, such an abnormal gap in prices of rice and paddy has been persisting for the past many seasons.
Experts and market insiders suspect involvement of a section of rice millers in keeping paddy prices at a low level artificially with a view to depriving farmers of ...