Photo : Collected
The interim government has cancelled 30 silo (Bangladesh Modern Food Storage Facilities Project) projects across the country worth Tk 1,400 crore due to financial crisis though the ministry has reviewed the projects by cutting the size.
Even after four years, there is no progress in implementation. Now the Ministry of Food proposed to amend the project by reducing the number of new silos. But the Planning Commission has recommended to cancel the project without agreeing to it. A letter in this regard will be sent soon.
However, the decision has been taken considering the current financial crisis and the importance and necessity of the project. The cost of implementation of the project was estimated at Tk 1,400 crores. The entire amount is supposed to be spent from the government's own funds. The Food Directorate aimed to implement it between January 2021 and December 2024.
Former Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder has taken up a plan to construct paddy silos across the country with a target to enhance paddy storage facilities avoiding the pesticides.
Inspector of Inspection, Development & Technical Services Division Tajal Islam told The Daily Messenger, “Yes, the Planning Commission has recommended the cancellation of the project. But for what reason it is being cancelled, I cannot say because I was not present in the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting. Besides, I have not received any cancellation letter yet. I just heard that the project is being cancelled. I can't say anything more about this.”
Food Division said, on June 8, 2021, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project 'Construction of modern rice silos with facilities for drying, storage and other ancillary facilities in different parts of the country' (first 30 silo construction pilot project). But due to various reasons there was no speed in its implementation. About Tk 9 crore have been spent under this in about four years. In this sense, design, drawing and other activities have been done. Later, the project was revised and proposed to the Planning Commission to reduce the number of silos. The sanctioned expenditure for construction of each silo through the project was Tk 45 crore. But in the amendment proposal, the construction cost of each silo was estimated at Tk 100 crore.
The matter came to the notice of the Planning Commission in the recently held PEC meeting. When asked about this, the project stakeholders could not give a satisfactory explanation. After that a decision was taken to cancel the project based on the opinion of everyone present in the meeting. The annual development program (ADP) of the current financial year has an allocation of Tk 24 crore in favor of the project. In addition, the allocation for the financial year 2023-24 was Tk 4.95 crore.
In this regard, the head of the Department of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Institutions of the Planning Commission Saiduzzaman said that the government has taken a strict stance in approving and revising the project in the current changing situation. We have judiciously observed that with the amount of money spent on the project so far, it will not cause much harm if it is canceled at this stage. In addition, the cost incurred in designing or other preliminary activities can be used later.
At the time of taking up the project, those concerned said that if it is implemented, 30 rice silos will be constructed in different parts of the country. If the silos are constructed, it will be possible to store 1.5 million tons of paddy within 3 years. If these silos are constructed, there will be an opportunity to purchase paddy directly from the farmers throughout the year. Farmers will be encouraged to easily sell paddy in government food warehouses. Get a fair price for the produced rice. But nothing worked.
Messenger/Disha
