Boro rice procurement timeline brought forward for Haor farmers hit by flash floods

The government has decided to advance the Boro rice procurement schedule by 12 days in six flood-affected Haor districts to support farmers facing sudden crop losses.

According to a Ministry of Food press release issued Friday, paddy and rice procurement in these specific regions will now commence this coming Sunday.

The six districts benefiting from the revised timeline are Sunamganj, Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona, and Kishoreganj.

While the initial plan set paddy collection for Sunday and rice for May 15, the ministry confirmed that both paddy and rice will now be purchased simultaneously starting this Sunday in the region.

The procurement schedule for the rest of the country remains unchanged, with paddy procurement starting on May 3 and rice on May 15.

The government aims to collect a total of 1.8 million tonnes of food grains during the current Boro season.

The target includes 500,000 tonnes of paddy, 1.2 million tonnes of parboiled rice, and 100,000 tonnes of atap (sun-dried) rice.

Purchase prices have been fixed at Tk 36 per kg for paddy, Tk 49 per kg for parboiled rice, and Tk 48 per kg for atap rice.

Additionally, the government has moved to buy 50,000 tonnes of wheat at Tk 36 per kg.

The nationwide procurement drive is slated to continue until Aug 31.