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In preparation for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, the government has announced a special Open Market Sale (OMS) programme to provide rice at subsidised rates to low-income households across the country.
Starting from February 2025, the programme will operate in 424 upazilas, including 401 upazilas in 61 districts and 23 upazilas in three hill districts.
A total of 848 outlets will sell 3.0 tonnes of rice daily in the 401 upazilas and 1.0 tonne daily in the 23 hill upazilas.
Additionally, under the general OMS programme, rice will be sold at 906 outlets in Dhaka metropolitan area, district headquarters, eight city corporations, and labour-intensive areas of Dhaka, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, and Gazipur districts.
Each outlet will sell 1.0 tonne of rice daily, with the Secretariat outlet in Dhaka selling 2.0 tonnes each day.
In total, 907 tonnes of rice will be distributed daily under this scheme. Rice will be sold at a subsidised rate of Tk30 a kg, with each individual eligible to purchase up to 5 kg, according to the ministry of food.
The announcement comes amid a sharp increase in rice prices over the past one and a half months, despite the peak Aman harvesting season.
Traders attributed the price hike to the July-August floods, which devastated crops in 14 districts. Coarse rice is now selling at Tk 60-62 per kg, medium-quality rice at Tk68-72, and finer varieties of rice at Tk80-98 a kg, marking a 20-25 per cent increase in prices in last one and half months.