Bangladesh Firms to Import 5 Lakh Tonnes Rice

11-Aug-2025 11:33 AM

Dhaka. With the aim of increasing supply and availability in the domestic sector and curbing the rise in prices, the Government of Bangladesh has approved 242 private sector companies to import a total of 5 lakh tonnes of rice,

which includes 4.61 lakh tonnes of Sela rice and 39 thousand tonnes of raw (white) rice. A letter to this effect has been sent by the Food Ministry to the Ministry of Commerce, requesting permission in favor of the allotted companies.

A government press release said that the share of broken grains in rice imported from abroad should not exceed 5 percent and importers will have to ensure that the entire allotted quantity of rice is available for sale in the domestic market of Bangladesh by 30 September 2025.

Apart from this, importers will have to submit a detailed report of the entire imported quantity of rice, its storage and distribution-marketing to the concerned District Food Controller.

The letter said that import of rice in excess of the approved allocation will not be permitted and importers should not misuse the quota.

It will be mandatory to sell the imported rice in its original packaging and repackaging in the name of different companies will not be permitted.

The Bangladesh government is making a strong effort to maintain smooth supply and availability of rice in the domestic sector and this rice import quota is a part of that strategy.

The recent severe floods in many parts of the country are likely to cause heavy damage to the Aman paddy crop, which will further reduce rice production and hence the government is already making arrangements for this.

It has also been decided to import rice at the government level in Bangladesh. A total of about 9 lakh tonnes of rice is expected to be imported at the government and private level and most of it can be imported from India as Indian rice can be obtained at a relatively low price.