Prof Abul Barakat, an economist, Tuesday sugge-sted free distribution of rice among the extreme poor who cannot afford to purchase food grains because of high price, reports UNB.

He estimated the number of extreme poor in the country at 2 crore. Prof Barakat was speaking at youth festival - Tarunner Mela - at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the afternoon.

He held the free market economy mainly responsible for rocketing price. He said free market economy is never friendly to the poor.

Greedy traders can form syndicate to manipulate the price. Barakat listed manipulation by middlemen, market speculation, import problems, corruption, high production cost and lack of coordination among the ministries as the reasons for galloping price of food grains.

He said high cost of living coupled with unemployment has led to an extreme situation. Around half of the population are passing days half-fed or without food.