Govt targets 3.4m-tonne food grain storage capacity

The government has set a target to increase Bangladesh's public food grain storage capacity to 3.4 million metric tonnes over the next five years as part of its strategy to strengthen national food security, despite maintaining reserves well above the current safety threshold.

According to the Ministry of Food, Bangladesh had a total food grain stock of 2.37 million metric tonnes, including floating reserves, as of 23 July, exceeding the country's existing safe reserve benchmark of 1.35 million tonnes by more than 1.02 million tonnes.

Officials said the ministry has already launched initiatives to expand storage capacity in line with the government's long-term food security objectives.

Data from the Directorate General of Food show that public warehouses currently hold 1.96 million tonnes of rice, 295,689 tonnes of wheat, and 168,605 tonnes of paddy, while floating rice reserves stand at 8,735 tonnes.

Under the ongoing FY2025-26 Boro procurement campaign, the government had procured 1.37 million tonnes of paddy and rice by 23 July, including 459,498 tonnes of paddy, 989,420 tonnes of parboiled rice, 76,814 tonnes of Atap rice, and 523 tonnes of wheat.

Official figures also show that Bangladesh imported 320,800 tonnes of food grains during the first 23 days of FY2026-27. Of this, the public sector imported 11,650 tonnes, while private traders accounted for 309,150 tonnes.

Officials said food grain stocks and procurement activities are being closely monitored to ensure adequate market supplies, stabilise rice prices, and support public food distribution programmes.

Mohammad Kamrul Islam Chowdhury, Joint Secretary of the Procurement Branch at the Ministry of Food, said the current procurement drive has progressed successfully and that government warehouses hold sufficient rice and wheat stocks to safeguard national food security.

Firoz Al Mahmud, Research Director of the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU), said the government is steadily expanding storage capacity to meet growing demand driven by population growth and the expansion of social safety net programmes.

Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Food, Md Jamal Hossain, said Bangladesh's food security situation remains "highly satisfactory." He noted that public food grain storage capacity has already increased from 2.4 million tonnes to 2.7 million tonnes.

He added that the government also plans to raise the national safe food reserve benchmark from 1.35 million tonnes to 1.6 million tonnes to better address future demand and emergency needs.