Economy

Bangladesh to Expand Strategic Food Storage Capacity to 3.4 Million Tonnes Amid Record Reserves

Dhaka Magazine Desk Published: Monday, 27 July 2026 1 min read

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Food, as of July 23, the total food grain reserve in government silos—including rice, wheat, paddy, and floating stocks—stands at 2,374,763 metric tons (MT). With the minimum safe reserve threshold set at 1,350,000 MT, the current stockpile enjoys a comfortable surplus of approximately 1,024,000 MT.

Current National Reserve Breakdown

To provide a clear snapshot of the country's food security status, the current reserves as of July 23 are categorized below:

Commodity Stock Volume (Metric Tons) Rice 1,960,746 Wheat 295,689 Paddy (Dhan) 168,605 Floating Rice 8,735 Total Strategic Reserve 2,374,763

Procurement and Import Metrics

The ongoing Boro procurement drive for the 2025-26 fiscal year has yielded substantial results. Up to July 23, the government successfully procured a total of 1,365,431 MT of paddy and rice.

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Procurement Category Quantity (Metric Tons) Boiled Rice 989,420 Paddy 459,498 Atap Rice 76,814 Wheat 523

Regarding imports, during the first 23 days of the current 2026-27 fiscal year, Bangladesh imported a total of 320,800 MT of food grains. The private sector accounted for 309,150 MT of this volume, while government-level imports stood at 11,650 MT. No food aid imports were recorded during this period.

Official Perspectives & Future Targets

The Ministry of Food affirmed that procurement and reserve operations are being continuously monitored to ensure uninterrupted supply for the Open Market Sale (OMS) and other social safety net programs, while simultaneously keeping market prices stable.

  • Mohammad Kamrul Islam Chowdhury, Joint Secretary (Procurement), Ministry of Food, stated: "The internal food grain procurement drive for the current season is being executed successfully. Thanks to the cooperation of farmers and rice mill owners, we have met our targets, which will play a crucial role in securing the nation's food safety."

  • Firoz Al Mahmud, Research Director at the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU), noted that the government is systematically expanding public storage capacities in alignment with the growing national demand.

  • Md. Jamal Hossain, Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Food, highlighted the satisfactory state of current reserves. He emphasized that the focus remains on maintaining grain quality and ensuring seamless distribution for social security initiatives.

    • Hossain further revealed the government's long-term infrastructure goals. The national storage capacity, which was previously 2.4 million MT, has already been upgraded to 2.7 million MT. The strategic target is to push this capacity to 3.4 million MT over the next five years. Additionally, adapting to population growth and the expansion of social safety nets, the government has decided to raise the baseline target for safe food reserves from 1.35 million MT to 1.6 million MT.

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