Food stock now 2.13m tonnes: Food Ministry

The Ministry of Food has announced that a total of 2.13 million tonnes of food grains, including rice and wheat, are currently in stock across the country.

According to an official press release, the government has 1.954 million tonnes of rice and 177,000 tonnes of wheat in reserve.

Additionally, the government aims to import 500,000 tonnes of rice and 400,000 tonnes of wheat by December 2025.

So far this year, the government has procured 535,000 tonnes of paddy and 1.967 million tonnes of rice — marking an increase of 261,000 tonnes of paddy and approximately 202,000 tonnes of rice compared to last year.

In the 2024-25 fiscal year, a record 3.305 million tonnes of food grains have been distributed — the highest in the country's history. This represents a 44,000-tonne increase in government food grain distribution compared to the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The ministry also stated that steps have been taken to diversify wheat import sources. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, wheat has been imported from the United States, Argentina, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Plans are in place to continue wheat imports from the US and other countries during the FY24.

To ensure an adequate food grain supply, both public and private sector imports have been ramped up. The food stock target has been set at over 1.5 million tonnes by December this year.

The ministry further noted that the government had a storage capacity of 2.341 metric tonnes of food grains in FY 2024-25.

Following the completion of four modern silos in Madhupur, Barishal, Mymensingh, and Narayanganj, the capacity has increased to 2.388 million tonnes. The government plans to expand this to 2.684 million tonnes by December 2025.