Economic Reporter :
The government has a plan to import 10 to 15 lakh metric tons of rice from abroad in the current fiscal year to cut the food deficit as well as to check skyrocketing of the staple food price in the country.
“Primarily, we had a plan to import 6 lakh MT of rice … but the amount will be increased to 10 to 15 lakh MT to reduce the food grain deficit,” Badrul Hasan, the director-general of the Department of Food, told to journalists on Sunday. At the same time, the government decision to decrease import tariff on rice import would also help reduce rice price in the country, said the official.
Under the plan, Hasan said, around 2.50 lakh MT rice will be imported from Vietnam under the government to government (G2G) basis with per tonne price of US$430 to 470.
“The first consignment of the imported rice will reach country by July 12,” he said.
Besides this, the government has floated tender to import more 1.50 lakh tones of rice, he said, adding the rice will arrive in the country within stipulated time.
Regarding 18 percent import duty withdrawal on rice import, the chief food official said that it would help slash rice price as only Taka 3.30 will be imposed on per kilo rice import instead of Taka 9 earlier.
He said a food ministry delegation will visit Thailand on July 5 for discussion with the Thai government on rice import.
Talking about rice import from India, Hasan said now the government is considering importing rice from India as the rice production in the country has exceeded to 110 million tonnes from the earlier production of 105 million tonnes.
According to the latest report compiled by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) shows the price of coarse variety rice increased by 46.88 percent in the last one year.
In 2016, the price of per kg coarse variety rice was Taka 30-35 while it rose to Taka 46-48 in the same corresponding time of this year.
The country’s current food grain stock in public sector is around 3.84 lakh MT of which rice is 1.65 lakh MT and wheat is 2.19 lakh MT.
