The government on Tuesday approved a proposal to import 50,000 metric tonnes of non-Basmati parboiled rice through international open tender for the current fiscal year (FY26), in an effort to strengthen essential food supplies ahead of Ramadan.

The approval was given at a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP), chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at Secretariat.

The Food Ministry’s proposal, to be carried out by Directorate General of Food, involves an estimated cost of Tk 216.90 crore, with M/S Aditya Birla Global Trading (Singapore) Pte Ltd selected as the supplier at a per-ton price of US$354.19.

Following the meeting, Dr Salehuddin told reporters that the government has already initiated imports of key commodities such as rice and wheat to stabilise the market during Ramadan.

He noted that Bangladesh Bank has relaxed restrictions on opening Letters of Credit, which will help maintain a tolerable price level during the fasting month.

Earlier, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved Food Ministry’s separate proposal to import 300,000 metric tonnes of wheat through international open tender under a government-to-government process, in accordance with Section 68(1) of the Public Procurement Act 2006 and Rule 99(2) of Public Procurement Rules 2025.

The committee also granted in-principle approval to shorten the procurement timeline for another 300,000 metric tonnes of rice imported through international tender, citing urgent operational needs and the rising domestic demand for food grains.

In addition to the food procurement approvals, the committee endorsed a major development initiative under the Local Government Division.

It granted in-principle approval for implementing Package HELP/UN-1 under the World Bank and government-funded “Host and FDMN Enhancement of Lives through Infrastructure Improvement Project (HELP),” under which the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be directly engaged as the implementing UN agency using the Direct Selection procurement method.