The Government will buy rice from India at a price of 54.80 Taka (Per K.G)

To ensure the country's food security, the government has decided to import 50,000 metric tons of non-Basmati boiled rice from India through an international open tender. The purchase price of rice has been set at 54.80 taka per kg. The total cost for importing 50,000 tons of rice will be 274 crore 20 lakh taka.

Following the proposal from the Ministry of Food, the government procurement advisory council committee approved the purchase of rice. The approval was given at a meeting held on Wednesday (December 18) at the Secretariat, chaired by Economic Advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.

According to sources from the meeting, for the fiscal year 2024-25, the government procurement advisory council committee has approved the purchase of 50,000 metric tons of non-Basmati boiled rice under Package-4 through an international open tender.

For the fiscal year 2024-25, the Economic Affairs Advisory Council Committee has approved the import of 600,000 metric tons of rice from international sources for national emergency needs and public welfare.

As a result, in order to increase the country’s public food stock and keep the government distribution system operational, an international open tender was called for the import of 50,000 metric tons of non-Basmati boiled rice. Five tenders were submitted, all of which were financially and technically responsive.

After completing all tender processes, the decision was made to import rice from India's M/s Bagadia Brothers Private Limited, the lowest responsive bidder recommended by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC). The rice will be imported at a rate of 456.67 US dollars per metric ton, with a total cost of 22.833 million US dollars, which amounts to 274 crore 20 lakh taka in Bangladeshi currency. The purchase price per kg of rice is 54.80 taka.