“Changes will be made to the foodgrain procurement policy as per the need of the time and demand,” he said while addressing a reception accorded to him by the Naogaon Rice Mill Owners’ Group.
The minister said he has already informed the matter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “After realising the necessity of the matter, she directed for amending the foodgrain procurement policy after consulting experts to make it a time-befitting one.”
He said the new policy will protect the rights of farmers, consumers, and mill owners and workers.
Sadhan also underscored the need for reopening husking mills to break the monopoly of a few automatic rice mills. “If the husking mills are reopened, there’ll be a competition for procuring paddy and in the process, farmers will benefit.”
At the programme, rice mill owners placed a number of demands, including declaring the rice mill business as an industry, setting up a central storage depot (CSD) with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes in the district and local storage depots with at least a capacity of 2,000 tonnes in 11 upazilas of the district and stopping the unnecessary import of rice.
In reply, the minister said demands will be met gradually.