The government has decided to procure 1.78 million metric tonnes (MT) of foodgrains during the upcoming Boro season in 2023 as the four-month-long internal food procurement drive begins next month.
The decision was taken at a Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) meeting at the cabinet conference room at the secretariat in the capital with food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder in the chair.
In the Boro procurement season, 400,000 metric tonnes paddy, 1.3 million metric tonnes parboiled rice and the rest 100,000 metric tonnes wheat would be procured.
"The internal food procurement will begin on 7 May and it will continue till 31 August this year," the meeting was told.
To carry out food procurement smoothly across the country, the government has also fixed the food procurement price with paddy at Tk 30 per kg while parboiled rice at Tk 44 and wheat at Tk 35.
In 2022, the paddy procurement price was fixed at Tk 27 per kg, parboiled rice at Tk 40 and wheat at Tk 28.
The meeting was also attended by agriculture minister M Abdur Razzaque, local government, rural development and cooperatives minister M Tajul Islam, health and family welfare minister Zahid Maleque, commerce minister Tipu Munshi and fisheries and livestock minister SM Rezaul Karim.
Secretaries from different ministries, including the cabinet secretary, among others, were present.