Dhaka: Four influential ministers on Friday assured that the soaring prices of rice will be tamed very soon as the government has taken various steps in this regard.

Facing a volley of questions from journalists about the hike in the rice prices at the Finance Minister's post-budget press meet in the capital's Osmani Memorial Auditorium, AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu and Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal came up with the assurance.

They attributed the hike in the rice prices to the damage of corps in the haor regions by flashflood.

The Industries Minister, however, found lack of patriotism and traders' evil intention to make hefty profits taking advantage of any bad situation the main reason for 'unnecessarily' rise in the rice price.

On Thursday, Finance Minister AMA Muhith proposed the biggest-ever national budget of Tk 400,266 crore for fiscal year 2017-18, saying he was placing the budget at a 'historic juncture' of economic development.

"The rice prices have gone up following the devastating flashflood that hit the country's seven haor districts. I believe it'll come down soon," said Muhith.

He said the government has sufficient stockpile of rice to meet the market demand. "We're increasing our stock further, and hope we'll be able to influence the market to reduce the rice price."

Matia Chowdhury said, "No one can deny that the rice prices have shot up as two-thirds crops in the haor region were damaged by natural calamity. Besides, a fungal disease known as Blast affected Boro production," she said.

She said the Food Ministry has already signed a deal with Vietnam and floated a tender to import rice under the government-to-government arrangement to keep the rice market stable.

Besides, she said, the government has given focus on boosting the Aush production. "There'll be no rice crisis."

Matia said they have been providing flood-affected haor people with food support through VGF and OMS, and will continue it until the harvest of new crops.

Amu said though there is no crisis of rice in the market, a group of traders is unnecessarily hiking its price. "I think some businessmen in our country have instinct to increase the prices of essentials whenever they get any scope. They've now increased the rice prices without any reason."

Referring to a media report that traders in Saudi Arabia and some other Muslim countries do business in 11 months and serve people during Ramadan, he said, "It's completely reverse here. Our businessmen have a tendency to raise prices of essentials during Ramadan."

To address the problem, Amu said, the government is enacting various laws as people here lack patriotism.

He urged the media to play an effective role in discouraging unscrupulous traders to increase the prices of essentials by creating artificial crisis.

The Planning Minister said the hike in the rice prices is a temporary problem caused by the natural disaster. "Our Prime Minister is working sincerely to resolve it. She is in business asking all concerned to make the market stable. We hope we'll be able to control the prices of rice and other essentials very soon."