The government will procure 18 lakh tonnes of Boro paddy and rice and 50,000 tonnes of wheat from May 3.

The procurement price of rice has been fixed at Tk 36 and Tk 49 per kg respectively, while the wheat has been fixed at Tk 36 per kg, said Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee at Secretariat with Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed in the chair.

The procurement drive of Boro paddy and wheat will commence on May 3 and continue until August 31.

The minister assured that the country has sufficient stocks. "Currently, government warehouses hold a reserve of 1.7 to 1.8 million tonnes of rice."

Of the total procurement, the government will procure 5 lakh tonnes of paddy at Tk 36 per kg, 12 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice at Tk 49 per kg and one lakh tonnes of Atap rice at Tk 48.

Besides, the procurement of rice is scheduled to begin on May 15 and will continue until August 31.