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OMS Begins

Mad rush for rice, many return empty-handed

Staff Correspondent
The Open Market Sale (OMS) of rice witnessed a huge demand on the first day of its operation across the country yesterday, with many consumers returning empty-handed as the outlets ran out of stock fast.
A large number of people from the low and fixed-income groups thronged the OMS shops to buy rice at Tk 25 per kg. The initiative has alleviated their sufferings to an extent, they said, as prices of the staple had soared in the recent times.
As many people had to go back disappointed, the dealers said that allocation of 850 kg rice every other day was scarce considering the demand.
Many alleged that it was difficult for people living in remote areas to travel long distances to buy only
three kilogram (kg) of rice as the OMS shops are located in the city corporation and municipality areas and at upazila headquarters.
The dealers said that the cost of transporting rice, labour and other necessary logistics were so high that only Tk 1 difference between the buying and selling prices of the OMS rice is not profitable for them.
Meanwhile, the price of coarse rice remained almost unchanged at Tk 30 to 33 with Tk 1 to Tk 2 decrease in some markets of the country.
The price would gradually come down further as soon as the imported rice arrives in the retail markets, the retailers observed.
The government on Sunday decided to introduce OMS programme to sell 25,372 tonnes of rice in one month through 1,990 dealers, with 450 dealers in the
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capital. The dealers would buy rice at Tk 24 per kg from the government, it was decided.
Mollah Wahiduzzaman, director of the Directorate of Food, inaugurated the OMS programme at Pir Jongi Mazar and Palashi outlets in the capital yesterday.
It was not possible for all the dealers to collect rice on the first day, but they would do so in a day or two. Wahiduzzaman said.
"I am happy that the government has made arrangements to sell rice at Tk 25 per kg. as it was impossible for people like us to buy rice at Tk 35 or more." said Ambia Begum, who bought 3 kg of rice from Al Madina Department Store, an OMS shop, at Pir Jongi Mazar in Motijhecl.
During a visit to the shop at around 4:00pm, the dealer Oliar Rahman said that they sold 3 kg of rice to each of the 283 customers yesterday, while many could not be provided. "We shall sell another 850 kg of rice on Saturday."
Meanwhile, people from low-income groups in Kamrangirchar and Mohammadpur Beribadh areas complained about not having any OMS shops in the areas, although several lakh people live there.
Abdur Rahman, a resident of Kamrangirchar, said that he visited seven markets in Mohammadpur Beribadh and Kamrangirchar, but failed to find a single OMS outlet.
"After wasting three hours in searching, finally I went to a BDR shop in Nababganj and bought 3 kg of rice," he said complaining that there was 150 gram less in his purchase of rice.
Wazed Ali, a dealer at Palashi, observed that they have to spend so much for labour, transport and storing purposes for 1,700 kg of rice that in the end, they make just a small profit out of the sales.
"If the government sell 15,000 kg of rice every day, it would be good for us,” he added.
Ohid Hossain, a trader in Kamrangirchar, said that he had been taking part in the OMS for many years, considering it as a service to the poor people. "I'm disappointed as I was not given the dealership this time," he added.
Ismail Hossa^ JCh^pfy. an OMS dealer at Salimullah Road in Mohammadpur, said that the 850 kg of rice allocated for the dealers every other day is insufficient considering the huge demand. "Many people had to return without any rice as the stock was overby 1:45pm."
Meanwhile, people also swarmed the BDR outlets to buy rice with some consumers saying that the rice selling at these shops were better in quality than that of the OMS shops.
The total 50 outlets of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in the capital are also selling rice at Tk 25 per kg.
Our correspondent from Sirajganj reports that people living in rural backwaters is not getting the benefits of the OMS programme.
"We live in remote village in char areas. To reach upazila headquarters. we need to cross the Jamuna river, which costs Tk 25," Maleka Banu of Kazipur upazila in the district said, adding that due to the commute expenses, it is not beneficial for them to buy OMS rice.
In Bogra, many consumers did not find any OMS shop in the local markets yesterday, although the district food control office claimed that a total of 29 dealers were appointed in 12 upazilas, says our staff correspondent there.
Our staff correspondent in Chittagong adds: Of the total 80 dealers appointed in Chittagong, 66 dealers collected rice yesterday while the rest failed to turn up.