Despite the ongoing peak season of IRRI-boro harvesting and availability of new rice, its price in the retail markets in Bangladesh is yet to register a fall.

The price of rice, however, slightly declined on the wholesale markets in the city. Traders apprehend that there is little possibility of rice price to come down in this season.

At the Badamtali market, the largest rice wholesale market in Dhaka, high quality rice per maund is being sold at Tk 660 to Tk 670 compared to Tk 680 to Tk 690 early last month.

Though the price of rice has recorded a slight fall on the wholesale market, it is still high on the retail markets.

The farmers have cultivated 43.55 lakh hectares of land for paddy prompting the agriculture officials to expect meeting their target of 15 mil MT of paddy, which is about 0.5 lmil MT higher than last year’s total production.

Around 50 per cent of the total crops across the country have already been harvested while it is expected to be completed by the end of this month.