Govt starts additional rice sales in 419 upazilas

The government today began selling rice at a subsidised price of Tk 30 per kilogramme in 419 upazilas under an additional open market sale (OMS) programme to stabilise the market.

The initiative aims to provide relief to consumers amid sporadic price hikes of fine rice in some parts of the country.

Under the additional arrangement, one tonne of rice will be sold daily in each of the designated upazilas from January 22, according to a press release.

This new initiative will run in parallel with the ongoing general OMS programme, which remains unchanged nationwide.

The additional OMS was introduced despite adequate food stocks, as market monitoring revealed an upward trend in fine rice prices in some isolated areas. The press release described such price movements as "undesirable".

At present, the general OMS programme covers 12 city corporations, 52 district headquarters municipalities, 15 labour-intensive upazilas, and five labour-intensive municipalities.

Through this channel, a combined 11,417.5 tonnes of flour are sold daily at subsidised rates, Tk 24 per kg for loose flour and Tk 55 for a two-kg packet, along with 1,175 tonnes of rice at Tk 30 per kg.

The government has also issued instructions to intensify market monitoring in the affected areas and take legal action to curb irregularities.