Dhaka: State Minister for Food Abdul Bari on Sunday affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring food security for the country’s poorest citizens through a series of subsidised initiatives. Responding to a written query from opposition MP Obaidullah Salafi in Parliament, Bari detailed the extensive measures in place to support low-income families.
According to United News of Bangladesh, under the food-friendly programme, 5.5 million families across 495 upazilas are entitled to receive 30 kilograms of rice per month at the subsidised rate of Tk 15 per kg for a period spanning six months annually, specifically from August to November and March to April. For the fiscal year 2025-26, a total of 10 lakh metric tons of rice has been allocated to this initiative, with around 7.93 lakh metric tons, representing approximately 79.25% of the total, already distributed by March 19.
Furthermore, the government is addressing nutritional needs by distributing 3.07 lakh metric tons of fortified rice enriched with essential vitamins and minerals to beneficiaries in 248 upazilas over a period of five months. This initiative is part of a broader effort to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable populations.
The state minister also highlighted additional measures aimed at stabilizing market prices for low-income groups. Through the Open Market Sale (OMS) programme, 1,091 sales centres across 12 city corporations, 14 labour-intensive districts, and 52 district town-based municipalities are selling subsidised rice and flour. Daily, these centres distribute 1,185 metric tons of rice and 1,432 metric tons of flour at reduced rates.
In a special programme to curb the high cost of rice, 406 metric tons are being sold daily in upazila markets via 836 sales centres at a price of Tk 30 per kg. For the fiscal year 2025-26, the OMS has budgeted 3 lakh metric tons of rice and 5.25 lakh metric tons of wheat, with 70% of this allocation already sold.
Additionally, responding to a request from the Ministry of Commerce, the Food Department is providing 33,833 metric tons of rice to approximately 6.7 million families through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at a monthly rate of Tk 30 per kg.