Paddy Tk 36/kg, rice up to Tk 49/kg
Government to procure 1.8 million tonnes in Boro season
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
To ensure national food security, the government will procure 1.8 million tonnes of paddy and rice in the upcoming Boro season, said Home Minister and chair of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) Salahuddin Ahmed. An additional 50,000 tonnes of wheat will also be collected.
He made the announcement at a press briefing on Wednesday at the Department of Information auditorium following an FPMC meeting. Food Minister Abdul Bari was also present at the event.
Salahuddin Ahmed said the procurement of paddy, rice and wheat will begin on May 3 and continue until August 31. He added that the government will maintain last year’s procurement prices for the current Boro season. Paddy will be purchased at Tk 36 per kilogram. Parboiled rice has been set at Tk 49 per kilogram, while ‘atop’ rice will be procured at Tk 48 per kilogram.
Under the approved plan, the government will procure 500,000 tonnes of paddy, 1.2 million tonnes of parboiled rice, and 100,000 tonnes of ‘atop’ rice during the current procurement season. In addition, the target for wheat procurement has been set at 50,000 tonnes. However, past efforts to collect wheat have seen limited success due to low domestic production and reluctance among farmers.
The minister noted that last year, the government also procured Boro paddy and rice at the same prices.
According to Salahuddin Ahmed, the country’s total annual food grain demand stands at around 8 million tonnes, while domestic production averages 7 to 7.2 million tonnes. To bridge the gap, the government imports around 800,000 tonnes of food grains every year through government-to-government (G2G) agreements or open tender processes.
He added that the safe food grain stock level has been set at 1.3 million tonnes, which must be maintained at all times. Currently, the country’s total food grain stock stands at around 1.7 to 1.8 million tonnes.
The government plans to increase total food grain reserves to 2.4 to 2.5 million tonnes in the future. To achieve this, procurement will be intensified in the current season, and import options will be adjusted as needed. Authorities will calibrate procurement and stock targets based on demand and evolving conditions to maintain national food security.
