The Food Ministry has extended the deadline to sign agreements with rice millers regarding purchase of the grain from December 8 to December 15 later this year.
The announcement comes as responses from millers to supply the cereal to the state warehouses were low due to high prices in the local market, said a notification.
The food directorate plans to buy 500,000 tonnes of rice from the ongoing harvest of Aman crops from millers at Tk42 per kg.
The ministry initially targeted to complete signing contracts with millers for rice purchase within December 8 this year.
Apart from milled rice, the food office plans to buy 300,000 tonnes of paddy during the current harvesting season of Aman, the second biggest crop providing 39% of total annual rice production.