& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

LCs for importing 8.5 lakh tonnes of rice opened in 6 months

Star Report
To meet the projected annual shortfall in foodgrain pro-, duction. import orders for procuring over 8.5 lakh tonnes of foodgraln worth some Tk 178 million US dollars have been placed during the last six months.
According to Bangladesh Bank figures, letters of credit (LCs) for importing 4,42.666 metric tons of rice worth over 98.1 million dollars were opened during the July-January period of the current fiscal.
In addition. LCs for importing 4.13.629 metric tons of wheat at a cost of 80.1 milliopdollars were opened during the same period.
Earlier last month, a government task force estimated that rice imports during 1994-95 would total 9.32 lakh metric tons to make up for the projected shortfall in production of 5.72 lakh MT because of severe droughts in many parts of the country.
The total foodgrain production is estimated to be around 186 lakh MT during the current fiscal, down from the actual output of 191.71 lakh MT in 1993-94.
The rice production shortfall is being attributed to the droughts in most rice growing regions caused by poor rainfall during the last summer and the resultant shortage in surface and underground water levels over the current dry season.
A drop in the aman and boro crops would mainly result in the shortfall while aus and wheat output is projected to Increase slightly, according to Agriculture Ministry figures.
Amun production during the current fiscal is estimated to be 90.42 lakh MT and boro 64 lakh MT as against the actual production of 94.19 lakh
MT and 67.72 lakh MT in 1993-94.
Preliminary estimates of earlv season aus output this fiscal s^nds at 20 lakh MT while wheat production is expected at 11.58 lakh MT. compared to 18.5 lakh MT and 1 1.3 lakh MT respectively during the previous fiscal.
file ministry estimates that import of 9.32 lakh MT of rice would be needed to meet the projected shortfall: 5.72 lakh MT for production loss and 3.6 lakh MT to provision for the annual increase In the population.
The shortfall in rice pro'-: duction fuelled a steep rise 4a prices since late last year, at times even by more than 50 per cent, forcing the government to initiate open market sale (OMS) operations on January 16 in an effort to stabilise the market prices.
Earlier last week. Bangladesh Bank Governor Korshed Alam, at a press briefing. said that the actual settlement of foodgrain imports during the July-December period of the current fiscal stood at 68.1 million dollars compared to 15.8 million dollars during Ihe corresponding period of 1993-94.