Rice at Tk30 per kg, flour Tk24 for 3 months in flood-hit areas

• Open market sale will be conducted at 230 centres in the flood-hit districts
• 14,490 tonnes of rice, 14,490 tonnes of flour will be sold till end of Nov
• Anyone in the flood-affected areas can avail of this service
• During the 3 months, Tk41.12cr subsidy for rice, Tk49.55cr for flour 

The Ministry of Food has initiated a three-month special open market sale (OMS) programme to supply rice at Tk30 per kilogram and flour at Tk24 per kg in flood-affected areas.

This initiative aims to address the food security needs of 14 districts in the Chattogram and Sylhet divisions, said Ismail Hossain, the Ministry of Food secretary, during a press conference at the Ministry today (1 September).

The program will be implemented at the municipal/union level to ensure equitable distribution of essential food items.

Ismail said the special OMS will be implemented in 230 centres in the flood-hit districts, each selling one tonne of rice and one tonne of flour up to 230 tonnes daily.

A total of 14,490 tonnes of rice and 14,490 tonnes of flour will be sold till the end of November, Ismail said.

Rice will be sold at Tk30 per kg, loose flour at Tk24 per kg, and packaged flour at Tk55 per 2 kg packet.

He said anyone in the flood-affected areas can avail of this service.

During these three months, Tk41.12 crore for rice and Tk49.55 crore for flour, totalling Tk90.68 crore, will be provided as a food subsidy by the Ministry of Food.

Currently, 910 tonnes of rice is being sold daily in 912 centres across the country (rice and flour in 910 centres and flour only in 2 centres) under the OMS programme.

Food secretary assures adequate rice stock

Food secretary Ismail Hossain informed the media that the government has sufficient food stock due to a successful Boro rice harvest. The Directorate General of Food currently has a stock of 19.73 lakh tonnes of food, including 14.60 lakh tonnes of rice.

In the last Boro season, the government exceeded its target for rice procurement, collecting 102% of fine rice, 124% of coarse rice, and 59.21% of paddy. This surplus has enabled the government to maintain a healthy food stock.

Due to the ample supply, there are currently no plans for foreign procurement. However, the government will assess the situation and consider procurement if necessary, subject to the approval of the advisory office.

While there is no overall food shortage, the Food Secretary underscored the need for continued monitoring to prevent traders from artificially manipulating rice prices, especially in light of the recent flood situation.

The price of rice has been on a downward trend in recent weeks, with coarse rice selling between Tk49-51 per kilogram, the secretary said.

However, the price of medium-quality rice has increased by Tk1.5 per kilogram, and fine-quality rice has increased by Tk0.5 per kilogram in the past week, according to the statement presented at the press briefing.