The Aman rice procurement drive has started Thursday and will continue until February 28, said Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder.
He made the announcement after officially inaugurating the Aman season rice procurement campaign at the Ministry of Food on Thursday.
He added that by the time the current administration completes its term, the country’s food stock will exceed the legally mandated level. With the national elections scheduled for mid-February next year, many district- and upazila-level officers of the Directorate General of Food will be occupied with election-related duties.
Considering this, all relevant officials have been instructed to ensure rice procurement targets are met before mid-February. Any negligence will not be tolerated, he further added.
The food adviser emphasized that the government is striving to achieve almost the entire target before the elections.
“The current government is committed to ensuring that ongoing programs leave the next administration in a comfortable position,” he said.
This year, paddy will be purchased at Tk34 per kilogram, parboiled rice at Tk50 per kilogram, and Atap rice at Tk49 per kilogram. Several procurement agreements have already been finalized, and the official collection starts on Thursday.
Majumder expressed optimism about meeting the targets, saying that the minimum targets are 50,000 tons of paddy, 600,000 tons of parboiled rice, and 50,000 tons of Atap rice.
“However, these are minimum targets. We aim to procure as much as possible, as a greater collection will reduce dependence on imports,” he said.
He further noted that the government always maintains a stockpile to ensure the smooth operation of the public food distribution system, keeping the reserves at satisfactory and safe levels. This sometimes requires limited imports.
He highlighted that this year, a record amount of rice was collected during the Boro season.
Ali Imam Majumder also said the public food distribution system has been gradually expanded. Under the Food-Friendly Program, the number of beneficiary families has increased by 500,000, bringing the total to 5.5 million families, who now receive 30 kilograms of rice per month at Tk15 per kilogram.
Previously a five-month program, it has been extended to six months this year. He added that these measures help stabilize rice prices in the market for a longer period.