Bangladesh: Govt approves rice import from India

The government has approved a proposal from the Ministry of Food to import 50,000 tons of non-basmati parboiled rice from India through an open tender process.The total expenditure for the purchase will amount to Tk282.96 crore.

The decision was finalized at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchases, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, at the Secretariat on Thursday.

According to meeting sources, the Indian company Messrs SAEL Agri Commodities Limited will supply the rice. This follows the earlier approval by the Advisory Council Committee on Economic Affairs for importing 500,000 tons of rice from international sources during the 2024-25 fiscal year to address state emergencies and serve public interest.

The cost of the 50,000 tons of rice is estimated at $471.60 per ton, amounting to $23.58 million. Converted to Bangladeshi currency, this totals Tk282.96 crore. The per-kilogram cost will be Tk56.59.

This initiative aims to bolster the country’s food supply and address potential shortages.

This article has been republished from The Dhaka Tribune