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SYLHET, July 15: The food department's rice procurement drive has been going on in the Sylhet division with a target of 24,701 tonnes during the current season. Already 19707 tonnes of rice had been purchased.
It includes 7034 tonnes of boiled rice and the rest 12,673 tonnes of Atap, informed an official in the Sylhet divisional office of the food department Saturday.
The procured quantity includes 1642 tonnes of boiled rice and 2889 tonnes of Atap in Sylhet, 1207 tonnes of boiled and 928 tonnes of Atap in Moulvibazar, 3979 tonnes of boiled and 1451 tonnes of Atap in Habiganj and 1206 tonnes of boiled and 7405 tonnes of Atap in the Sunamganj district. The total stood at 7034 tonnes of boiled and 12,673 tonnes of Atap rice.
The procurement programme would continue till August. Contracts were signed with the millers for the supply through 44 purchasing centres in the region, the official added. Tk 37 is being paid for Atap and Tk 38 for the boiled rice per kg.
The authority is hopeful of achieving the target this time, as the yield was very good due to favourable weather almost whole the Boro season.
However, in the last year the target couldn't be achieved due to short supply of both boiled and Atap (non-boiled) varieties from the millers of Sylhet division even on extension of time twice. The Food department had failed to procure even a small quantity since the region had suffered devastating crop loss in last year's Boro season.
It was failed due to poor supply after repeated flash floods, lack of initiatives by the rice mill owners, absence of marketable surplus of rice or paddy etc, officials noted.
There was a good yield of over 1926,000 tonnes of rice as the Boro crop was cultivated on 481,521 hectares in the division this year. It include 269,446 hectares in haor region and the rest 212,075 hectares in non-haor areas, the DAE informed.