Dhaka: The government has set a target to increase Bangladesh’s public food grain storage capacity to 3.4 million metric tons over the next five years, despite maintaining food reserves well above the country’s current food security requirements.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Food, Bangladesh held a total official food grain stock of 2,374,763 metric tons, including floating reserves, as of July 23.
The current reserve exceeds the country’s long-standing safe stock benchmark of 1.35 million metric tons by approximately 1.02 million metric tons, reflecting a strong national food security position.
Storage Capacity Expansion Underway
To further strengthen food security, the government has launched initiatives to expand the storage capacity of public warehouses to 3.4 million metric tons.
Officials said the Ministry of Food has already begun implementing measures to achieve the target.
According to the Directorate General of Food, government warehouses currently hold 1,960,746 metric tons of rice and 295,689 metric tons of wheat.
An additional 168,605 metric tons of paddy is in stock, which has been converted and included in the total rice inventory, while floating rice reserves stand at 8,735 metric tons.
Successful Boro Procurement
Under the ongoing 2025–26 Boro procurement programme, the government collected 1,365,431 metric tons of paddy and rice by July 23.
The procurement includes:
- 459,498 metric tons of paddy
- 989,420 metric tons of parboiled rice
- 76,814 metric tons of Atap (sun-dried) rice
In addition, 523 metric tons of wheat were procured during the same period.
Imports Support Food Supply
During the first 23 days of the 2026–27 fiscal year (July 1–23), Bangladesh imported 320,800 metric tons of food grains.
Public-sector imports totalled 116,500 metric tons, comprising 78,300 metric tons of rice and 38,200 metric tons of wheat.
Private-sector imports reached 309,150 metric tons, including 294,000 metric tons of rice and 15,150 metric tons of wheat.
Officials said no food grain imports were required under international food assistance programmes during the period.
The Ministry of Food said procurement operations and reserve levels are being monitored continuously to maintain market supply, stabilise prices and ensure uninterrupted distribution through government food programmes.
Officials Express Confidence
Speaking to BSS, Mohammad Kamrul Islam Chowdhury, Joint Secretary of the Procurement Branch of the Ministry of Food, said this season’s domestic procurement campaign had been implemented successfully.
“Our domestic food grain procurement drive for the current season is being implemented successfully and satisfactorily,” he said, thanking farmers and other stakeholders involved in the programme.
He added that existing rice and wheat stocks provide a strong foundation for ensuring national food security and maintaining uninterrupted supplies under social safety net programmes.
Firoz Al Mahmud, Research Director of the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU), said the government is continuously aligning food reserves and storage capacity with rising national demand.
Meanwhile, Md Jamal Hossain, Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Food, described the country’s overall food security situation as “extremely satisfactory.”
He said the government is placing equal emphasis on maintaining adequate grain stocks, preserving food quality and ensuring transparent procurement from marginal farmers at fair prices.
According to Jamal Hossain, public warehouse capacity has already increased from 2.4 million metric tons to 2.7 million metric tons, with work underway to achieve the government’s target of 3.4 million metric tons within the next five years.
He also noted that, in view of population growth and the expansion of social safety net programmes, the government plans to raise the national safe food reserve benchmark from 1.35 million metric tons to 1.6 million metric tons.
