1 crore families to get 10kg VGF rice each during Ramadan

The government, under the VGF (Vulnerable Group Feeding) programme, will give 10kg of free rice to one crore families each. These are the families who are currently not receiving any form of government aid.

"This initiative will commence at the beginning of Ramadan," Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder told reporters at the Secretariat on Thursday noon (16 February).

The food minister said that Open Market Sales (OMS) rice is being sold at Tk30/kg and flour at Tk24/kg.

Also, rice is being provided to 50 lakh families at a rate of Tk15 per kg under the Food Friendly Programme (FFP), he said adding that OMS trucks are now carrying 500kg more essentials to meet growing demand.

"All things considered, the price of rice is currently stable," the minister said.

He said that the law to ban the sale of polished rice under different names and to name rice varieties based on the names of the paddy is up for scrutinisation. 

He said that there is nothing to worry about when it comes to the stock of rice. "limited scale imports are taking place. Also, stocks are at an all-time high. 

"Some 374,030MT of Aman rice has been collected till yesterday. Our target is 5 lakh MT." 

Sadhan Chandra said, "The ongoing global crisis has not affected Bangladesh in terms of food and it is likely to remain the same in the future. Besides, we are expecting a bumper Boro season."

The minister said that FFP will resume from 1 March till May. "OMS are ongoing and will continue. "We will be able to sell atap rice, imported from Myanmar, in Ramadan."