Subsidised Tk 30 per kg rice sales now at 434 upazilas

The government has expanded its open market sale (OMS) programme to include 419 more upazilas, extending subsidised rice sales to 434 out of 495 upazilas nationwide.

Under the arrangement, rice is being sold at Tk 30 per kg at these administrative subdivisions to help steady the market, the food ministry said in a press release issued yesterday.

The regular OMS programme previously covered 12 city corporations, 52 district headquarters municipalities, 15 labour-intensive upazilas and five labour-intensive municipalities.

Through the channel, the government is selling a combined 11,417.5 tonnes of flour each day at subsidised prices. Loose flour was priced at Tk 24 per kg, while a two kg packet costs Tk 55. Daily rice sales under the regular arrangement stand at 1,175 tonnes, at Tk 30 per kg.

Food grain distribution rises to nearly 18 lakh tonnes in FY26. But OMS trails behind last year’s performance, falling to 5.7 lakh tonnes in the July-January period from 6.5 lakh tonnes in the same period the previous year

Now under the expanded arrangement, each of the newly included upazilas is selling 1 tonne of rice a day, according to the press release. The additional sales are running alongside the existing OMS programme, which continues unchanged across the country.

Officials said the additional sales aim to ease pressure on consumers by keeping prices in check. 

The decision comes as authorities report comfortable food stock levels, while prices of fine rice have edged up slightly. The press release described the recent price movement as “undesirable”.

The government has also instructed officials to step up market monitoring and to take legal action against any irregularities.

Despite progress in overall food grain distribution, the OMS operation in the current fiscal year 2025-26 trails behind last year’s performance.

Between July 1, 2024 and January 15, 2025, distribution through all government channels exceeded 16 lakh tonnes, with OMS accounting for about 6.5 lakh tonnes. 

In the same period of the current fiscal year, total distribution rose to nearly 18 lakh tonnes, while OMS distribution stood at around 5.7 lakh tonnes.