Dhaka: State Minister for Food Md. Abdul Bari announced on Sunday that the government currently maintains a stock of 19.20 lakh metric tons of food grains in its public godowns. The announcement was made in the Parliament in response to a starred tabled question from BNP lawmaker AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, representing Noakhali-1.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the minister detailed that as of March 30, 2026, the stock includes 15.79 lakh metric tons of rice and 3.39 lakh metric tons of wheat. The government has undertaken measures to augment these stocks through international and domestic procurement strategies. This includes importing rice and wheat from abroad under government-to-government (G2G) arrangements and open international tenders, as well as procuring paddy and rice from domestic sources, including contracted rice mills and farmers with agricultural assistance cards, at government-fixed prices during the Boro and Aman seasons.
Regarding international procurement, the state minister noted contracts for importing a total of 6 lakh metric tons of rice in the fiscal year 2025-26. Out of this, 5 lakh metric tons will be acquired through international tenders and 1 lakh metric tons via G2G arrangements. So far, 3 lakh metric tons have been received, with the remaining expected soon. In terms of wheat, contracts have been made to import 7.10 lakh metric tons, including 50,000 metric tons through international tenders and 6.60 lakh metric tons from the United States under G2G arrangements. To date, 5.35 lakh metric tons of wheat have been received, with the rest anticipated to arrive on schedule.
The minister highlighted that the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) within the Ministry of Food is tasked with establishing policies for domestic food grains procurement. During the forthcoming Boro procurement season, from May to August 2026, the government aims to procure 5 lakh metric tons of paddy and 12/13 lakh metric tons of rice domestically. He further mentioned that additional food grains will be acquired from both international and domestic sources in the fiscal year 2026-27 as needed.