The government has set the target of foodgrains procurement at 32 lakh 11 thousand metric tonnes for the upcoming fiscal year aiming to extend Open Market Sale (OMS) of rice to the poor and to ensure food security in the country.
Meanwhile, Tk 18,197 crore has been earmarked to purchase the set amount of foodgrains from internal and external sources.
Of the targeted amount, some 25 lakh 61 thousand metric tonnes will be rice, of which 24 lakh 56 thousand metric tonnes will be sourced from the domestic market and the rest amount will be imported. Besides, 6 lakh metric tonnes of wheat will be procured, of which only one lakh ton will be purchased from abroad while most of the wheat will be sourced from internal source.
Moreover, there will be a proposal in the next budget to purchase additional 3 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains (rice and wheat) for any impending crisis period, an official at the Ministry of Food confirmed The Business Post.
Sarwar Mahmud, director general of the Directorate General of Food said, “There is no reason to worry about food crisis as the country has experienced a bumper harvest in the last Aman season and is experiencing the same in current Boro season as well.”
However, for this current fiscal year, the government has a target of collecting some 28 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains with an estimated cost of Tk 15 thousand crore, said sources from the Ministry of Food.
According to the Directorate General of Food, there are 11 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains in government storehouses at present, which will be enough against the demand for the next three months.
Finance ministry sources said that there will be a proposal for Tk 6,050 crore as food subsidy for the fiscal year 2020-21 which was Tk 4,884 crore in the current fiscal year.
