Bangladesh hits record 2.35m tons food grain reserves
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Bangladesh has achieved a significant milestone in food security, with total grain reserves - including paddy, rice, and wheat - reaching 2.35 million tons in government warehouses and silos.
This marks the highest-ever stock of food grains in government storage in the history of Bangladesh.
Three primary factors contributed to the record: abundant harvests of Amon and Boro paddy, a successful procurement drive that offered farmers fair prices, and an expansion of storage capacity.
Food Department generally considers 1.35 million tons - typically consisting of 1 million tons of rice and 3,50,000 tons of wheat - as the “safe reserve” index. Current stocks exceed this safety threshold by 1 million tons.
These massive reserves are maintained to prevent food shortages during major natural disasters and to support government social safety net programs, such as Open Market Sales (OMS), VGD, VGF, and Kabikha (Food for Work).
Such programs require at least three months of food grain stocks to be held in reserve. This surplus places the government in a strong position to regulate the market and provides confidence in managing any future disasters.
Mohammad Moniruzzaman, director (Procurement) of the Directorate General of Food, said, “The current stock is an all-time record for the Food Department. Last season, 1.2 million tons of Amon were collected. 5,00,000 tons were imported from abroad. The Boro collection is underway.”
He added, “Against a target of 1.8 million tons for Boro, 1.35 million tons have already been deposited in the warehouses. This record is the result of setting rational procurement prices for paddy, abundant harvests due to favorable weather, and food grains reaching warehouses according to import targets”.
Food Department officials noted that the primary objective of the successful Amon drive was to purchase directly from farmers at fair prices. Contractual rice procurement from rice mill owners also played a significant role in increasing these stocks.
However, a paradox remains: despite government warehouses being packed with rice and wheat, open market prices have not stabilized. Prices for all varieties - from coarse to fine - remain high.
Because the majority of the 2.35 million tons is reserved for emergencies or social safety net programs, private millers and large corporate groups continue to control the open market supply and distribution.
According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), rice prices rose by an average of Tk 2 to 5 per kg throughout the month of June. Coarse rice prices, which ranged from Tk 48 to 52, rose to Tk 50-54 by the end of June.
Medium-quality rice rose Tk 2 to 3 per kg to sell at Tk 52-64, while fine rice prices increased by Tk 3 to 5, selling between Tk 65 and 78 depending on quality.
Pahartali Rice Traders Association Former General Secretary Nazim Uddin remarked, “Production is good. There are no imports. Therefore, there is no reason for the price of rice to increase. Rice prices are rising without any reason. It does not seem like there is any control or monitoring.”
To ensure food security for a growing population, the country’s warehouse and silo capacity has been significantly increased over the last decade. Following the construction of modern steel silos and new Local Supply Depots (LSDs), government storage capacity has risen to 2.25 million tons. The government aims to increase this capacity to 3.7 million tons by 2028.
Regarding the current surplus, the Food Department explained that while 2.25 million tons is the standard capacity, they are utilizing expanded storage compartments to hold up to 2.35 million tons.
This surpasses the previous record of 2.2 million tons set in 2025. This record-breaking stock has eliminated the need for the government to import food grains, thereby saving foreign currency.
Despite recent flooding in some low-lying areas of Northern and Eastern Bangladesh, water only reached the yards of a few government warehouses and did not enter the main storage facilities.
GM Faruk Hossain Patowary, regional food controller of Chattogram, said due to early precautionary measures by the Food Department, there was no major damage to stored grains.
These government stocks are used for open market sales and periodic Kabikha programs for small-scale development.
While 1,35,000 tons of food grains were allocated for Kabikha in the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Food Department believed that if the elected government chooses to increase allocations for these sectors, the current reserves can easily accommodate the demand.
