TDS Desk:

The government on Tuesday decided to import four lakh metric tonnes of rice aiming to avert any kind of food security risk during the flood season.

The decision was taken at a Food Planning and Monitoring Committee meeting chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Briefing reporters after the meeting Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder said the government has taken the plan apprehending that there will be flood during the Aman season.

“We do not want to take any risk during the Aman season. Last time we had started our preparations after the flood due to the formation of the interim government,” he said.

The import will be made through international tender, he said.

Although standing vegetable crops have been affected by continuous rains there is no risk of crop loss as Boro paddy has already been harvested and Aman is still at an early stage, the adviser said.

“But, we have taken our advance preparations, we will start our advance procurement process,” he said.

The bureaucrat turned adviser to the interim government, Ali Imam Majumder, also said till November the Safe Food Storage will be 13 lakh metric tonnes comprising rice and wheat.

He said that the government has already collected some 3.76 lakh metric tonnes of Broro paddy against the target of 3.50 lakh metric tonnes and the target for rice collection is 14 lakh metric tonnes whereas some 9.50 lakh has been collected.

“Hopefully we will be able to reach near the target. We will stop the process to procure the rice in the middle of the August,” he said.

“As soon as finishing the procurement process, we will start food friendly programmes,” he added.

He said that some 55 lakh families across the country which was 50 lakh previously will get 30 kilogrammes of rice per month at the rate of Tk 15 per kilogramme.

This will continue for six months- August, September, October, November, February and March.