Tk15 kg rice for poor from September 1

The government is set to start selling rice at Tk15 per kg in a countrywide campaign under the Food Friendly Programme, or FFP, from September 1.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder made the announcement on Sunday while briefing journalists at his Bangladesh Secretariat office in Dhaka. 

He said: "The government has an adequate amount of rice stockpiled for the rest of the year. We have also decided to allocate two tonnes of rice instead of a single tonne to all 2,013 registered dealers under the open-market sales, or OMS, programme."

“We will kick off FFP and OMS programmes to sell rice to the households who are needy,” he added.

Under the FFP scheme, which was launched in 2016, at least five million beneficiaries across the country can buy 30 kg of rice a month in March, April, September, October and November at the heavily subsidised set price. The government issues ration cards to the families for distribution.

“I hope the re-introduction of the FFP and OMS will bring down the soaring prices of rice a little,” Sadhan said.