The price of rice is increasing being control despite a record production and the highest stock in silos, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said on Sunday.
The minister made the remark at a meeting to review the progress of his ministry’s Annual Development Programme at Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka.
Since rice is the staple food, the country will have to further boost grain production at any cost, the minister said.
“We are unable to control the price hike,” he told the meeting.
Razzaque urged scientists, agriculture extension officials and all others concerned to work sincerely for increasing food production.
He asked officials not to waste time in lobbying to become projects directors in the hopes of earning extra money through corruption.
“The project directors are recruited after considering professional skill, eligibility and leadership quality,” he said.
“Please do not go for lobbying to become a project director for taking illegal facilities through irregularities and corruption.”
He said those who are in charge of projects have to maintain transparency in spending funds.
Razzaque also asked the officers concerned to monitor the project work strictly.
According to the ministry, it has 71 projects in FY2021-2022 with a total allocation of Tk 2,928 crores.
So far, 32 per cent of the work has been implemented till December 2021, higher than the national ADP implementation of 24 per cent.
