In Khajanagar of Kushtia—the heartland of Bangladesh’s fine rice—a troubling quiet has settled. The hum of auto mills has faded, paddy stocks dwindled, and miniket rice, the middle class’s staple, is vanishing from production lines. Yet, its price climbs relentlessly—Tk 80-81 per kg at the mill gate, Tk 84-86 in Kushtia’s retail markets—leaving wallets lighter and tempers frayed as Ramadan deepens.

A production pause—or ploy?

A stroll through Khajanagar’s mills and markets reveals a stark scene: many auto rice mills sit idle, their owners lamenting a paddy shortage. No miniket in the market, they claim, pointing to empty warehouses. Yet, branded sacks still flood retail shelves—at sky-high rates. Whispers among locals and traders suggest a twist: millers might be hoarding paddy, cashing in on scarcity while crying broke to dodge scrutiny.

Joynal Abedin Pradhan, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association in Kushtia, shrugged off the contradiction. “Miniket’s gone,” he said.

“Traders scrape what’s left from North and South Bengal at Tk 2,250 per unit. Prices climb—it’s simple math.” He added a grim note: “Half our millers have stopped. Some are plotting to shut for good.”

A waiting game

Arshad Ali, owner of Dada Rice Mill, sees no relief soon. “New miniket’s a month and a half away,” he sighed. “Until then, prices won’t budge.” He jabbed at last year’s floods: “We begged the government to import rice. Did they? And those Agriculture Department stats? Check them twice.”

From Tk 62-64 per kg at season’s start, miniket now stings at Tk 84-86—a Tk 5 weekly jump. Kajalalata rice hits Tk 76, mota atash Tk 60—all up Tk 3-taka in seven days.

Crackdown in Khajanagar

On Monday afternoon, March 17, Kushtia Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Partha Pratim Shil stormed Khajanagar’s Mokam with Agriculture Marketing and Consumer Affairs officials in tow. Two mills—caught stockpiling beyond limits and short-weighing sacks—copped fines.

At Palash Rice Mill, Shil laid down the law: “Too much stock for your license. Clear it in three days.” Elsewhere, he flagged unlabelled sacks: “No production date, no weight. Notices issued, fines slapped.” The UNO vowed more raids: “No one’s profiting off this spike unchecked.”

A hunger for answers

Kushtia’s rice saga is more than a price tag—it’s a trust frayed between millers, markets, and meals. With mills dark and shelves pricier, the administration swings hard, but the root—floods, hoarding, or policy lag—looms unanswered. For now, miniket’s golden grains gleam out of reach, and Kushtia waits.