Govt to distribute vitamin-enriched rice in 300 upazilas

The government has decided to distribute six varieties of rice enriched with vitamins and minerals in 300 upazilas in order to reduce malnutrition and strengthen nutrition security for the public.

This information was announced through a press release issued by the food ministry yesterday.

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In the current fiscal year, under the government’s Food Friendly Programme, a total of 9.90 lakh tonnes of rice will be distributed to 55 lakh rural poor and extremely poor families across the country at a rate of 30 kg per month per family for six months at a price of Tk 15 per kg. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee, chaired by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.

Over the past five fiscal years, an average of 32.32 lakh tonnes of food grain was distributed through the public sector, while 35.08 lakh tonnes were distributed in fiscal year 2025-26, according to the press release.

Due to the steady increase in demand for food grain and the expanding scope of food security, poverty alleviation and social safety net programmes, a decision has been made to increase the government’s safety stock of food grain from the existing 13 lakh tonnes to 14 lakh tonnes during normal times and 15 lakh tonnes during disaster periods.

Additionally, a decision has been made to construct new food warehouses in the three hill districts to ensure the swift and uninterrupted storage and distribution of food grain in remote hilly areas during natural disasters, emergencies and temporary disruptions to communication systems.

A decision has also been made to increase the current food grain storage capacity by 30 lakh tonnes by 2030.