Dhaka: The government has announced a significant increase in its strategic food grain reserve as part of efforts to meet the nation’s growing food demand, bolster food security, and expand social safety net programs. This decision was taken during a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) held at the Home Affairs Ministry.

According to United News of Bangladesh, the meeting was presided over by Home Minister and FPMC Chairman Salahuddin Ahmed. The strategic food grain reserve will be raised from the current 1.3 million metric tonnes to 1.4 million metric tonnes during regular periods and further increased to 1.5 million metric tonnes during emergencies and disaster situations.

The committee highlighted the importance of this decision in light of the country’s steadily increasing food grain demand, the need to ensure food security, reduce poverty, and broaden social protection programs. Additionally, the meeting saw the approval of the government’s Food-Friendly Programme for the 2026-27 fiscal year. This program aims to provide 55 lakh poor and ultra-poor rural families with 30 kilograms of rice per month at a subsidized rate of Tk 15 per kilogram for six months, distributing a total of 990,000 metric tonnes of rice.

To combat malnutrition, fortified rice enriched with essential vitamins and minerals will be distributed across 300 upazilas under the same initiative. It was noted that the government has distributed an average of 3.232 million metric tonnes of food grains annually over the past five fiscal years, with distribution peaking at 3.508 million metric tonnes in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

In response to the rising demand for food grains, the committee decided to enhance the strategic reserve accordingly. To ensure the uninterrupted storage and supply of food grains in remote hill districts during natural disasters, emergencies, and transport disruptions, the government plans to construct new food warehouses in all three hill districts. Moreover, the country’s overall food grain storage capacity is set to increase by 3 million metric tonnes by 2030.

The meeting was attended by members of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee and other senior officials.