The cabinet has asked the authorities concerned to take prompt action against any kind of hoarding of rice in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

"Commerce, food and agriculture ministers and their secretaries have been asked to take immediate steps to find out reasons behind rice price hike through monitoring and supervision, although the full harvesting season of rice is going on," Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said.

Briefing newsmen at the Cabinet division board room this afternoon, he said the cabinet today held talks over market mechanism to check price of rice and oil.

Replying to a query, the cabinet secretary said that many companies without taking government permission or authority have been engaged in rice trading.

He continued: "The cabinet orders immediate action to check unauthorised rice trading by any company or any sort of rice stockpiling."

Anwarul said that one company abroad is doing one specific business against a memorandum of association (MoA) while in Bangladesh many businesses are doing with same MoA.

The concerned ministry has asked to review the matter with other countries to see what they are doing in giving a MoA, he said.

He added that the cabinet asked the authorities concerned to find out the people who are behind illegal stockpiling of rice and the places where they hoarded those.

The cabinet secretary said the government is committed to finding out the stockpiled rice likewise oil.

In responding to another question, he said no discussion was held about import of rice.