The government is likely to procure around 3,50,000 tonnes of Aman paddy and Aman rice this year from local producers to provide incentive to farmers and ensure food security as well.
The decision will be finalised today at a meeting of Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) under the Food Ministry.
The meeting will also finalise the target of local procurement and fix the price of Aman paddy and Aman rice considering the production cost of this year estimated by the Agriculture Ministry,
Joint Secretary of the Food Ministry Ataur Rahman yesterday said Food Planning and Monitoring Unit under the Food Ministry will conduct the meeting.
FPMU Director General Naser Farid, also member secretary of the FPMC, denied making any comment on the meeting.
Chairman of the FPMC and Food Minister Kamrul Islam will chair the meeting while committee members – ministers for finance, commerce, agriculture, LGRD and disaster management and relief – will attend the meeting.
Among bureaucrats cabinet secretary, secretaries for finance, internal resource and statistics and Informatics divisions and food, women and children affairs, disaster management and relief, health, agriculture and fisheries and livestock ministries will also join the meeting.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, the production costs of Aman paddy and Aman rice have increased this year due to price hike of fertilizer and fuel for irrigation, labour cost and milling charge.
Production cost of per kg Aman paddy this year is around Tk18, a rise of Tk0.98, and as for Aman rice it is Tk28, a rise of Tk2.58.
The production cost of Aman paddy was Tk17.02 and Aman rice Tk25.42 in the previous Aman season, Agriculture Ministry’s Senior Assistant Chief Sayemur Rashid Khan told the Dhaka Tribune last week. The Food Ministry officials claimed FPMU may suggest Tk19-20 as the price of Aman paddy and Tk31-32 as the price of Aman rice.
During the previous Aman season the ministry bought Aman paddy at Tk18 and Aman rice at Tk30 considering the production cost in accordance with the agriculture ministry estimation.
The target of Aman production this year was set at 12.996 tonnes this.
Last year the target was 13.2 tonnes while the actual production stood at 13.023 tonnes.
The Aman paddy and rice procurement may start from November 1.
