‘Boro harvest keeps food situation highly satisfactory’

Staff Reporter:

Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder has declared the country’s current food situation as “highly satisfactory,” crediting a bumper Boro harvest for significantly strengthening national food grain stocks.

He made the remarks while speaking at a view-exchange meeting held at the Patuakhali Circuit House with food department officials from Patuakhali and Barguna districts.

“If Aman cultivation performs as well as Boro, there will be no need to import rice,” said the adviser, highlighting the positive outlook for food security. However, he urged continued vigilance, noting that rising consumption demands proactive stock management.

“Though our food stock is in a good state, we cannot afford to be complacent,” he warned.
In Patuakhali, the Boro procurement targets are 1,925 tonnes of paddy and 5,695 tonnes of rice, with nearly all paddy and 4,997 tonnes of rice already collected.

In Barguna, the target is 500 tonnes of paddy and 1,513 tonnes of rice, with current procurement at 500 tonnes of paddy and 1,349 tonnes of rice. The six Local Supply Depots (LSDs) in Barguna collectively have a storage capacity of 15,000 tonnes.

The adviser instructed local administrations, particularly deputy commissioners, to intensify monitoring of procurement and distribution efforts, citing the region’s disaster-prone nature and the need for uninterrupted food supply during emergencies.

Nationally, the government aims to procure 17.5 lakh tonnes of Boro crops from the local market, comprising 3.5 lakh tonnes of paddy and 14 lakh tonnes of rice. To ensure fair compensation for farmers, the government has raised procurement prices by Tk 4 per kg—setting paddy at Tk 36 and rice at Tk 49 per kg.

The Boro procurement drive began on April 24 and will continue through August 31.
The adviser also shared that the food subsidy allocation in the proposed 2025–26 budget has increased to Tk 9,500 crore, up from Tk 8,059 crore this fiscal year. The goal is to provide affordable food to low-income families.

As part of its social safety net expansion, the number of families receiving subsidized food under Open Market Sale (OMS) and Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) programs will increase from 50 lakh to 55 lakh in the upcoming year.