ANM Mohibub Uz Zaman

Prices of coarse and medium-quality rice have declined in recent weeks due to higher domestic production, increased imports and continued government food distribution.

Data from the Department of Agricultural Marketing show that coarse rice prices fell by 3.81% over the past month, while medium-quality BR-28 declined by 2.56% and other medium varieties by 3.03%.
In retail markets, coarse rice prices have dropped by Tk2-3 per kg.

Traders say coarse rice is now selling at around Tk50 per kg, down from Tk52-53 a month ago, while BR-28 has fallen to Tk52-54 per kg from Tk56.

However, fine rice prices have risen sharply, reaching Tk83-84 per kg depending on quality, compared with Tk70-80 earlier, they said.

Shahzahan Talukder, owner of Mukta Rice Agency in the capital’s Kawran Bazar area, said the impact of the recent diesel price hike was yet to be fully reflected in the market.

He added that the ongoing Boro harvest may help stabilise prices in the coming weeks. Imports have also played a significant role in easing supply pressure. 

According to the Ministry of Food, rice imports stood at 1.436 million tonnes in the 2024-25 fiscal year, compared with no imports in 2023-24 and 6.33 lakh tonnes in 2022-23. In the current fiscal year, imports reached 1.14 million tonnes between 1 July and 19 April.

Historically, the highest combined rice and wheat imports were recorded in 2017-18 at 9.774 million tonnes with the second-highest volume seen in 2024-25.

On the production side, the Ministry of Agriculture reported Aman rice output at 181.52 lakh tonnes, while total rice production is targeted at 441.65 lakh tonnes for the current fiscal year.

Government distribution programmes have further contributed to market stability.

Between 1 July, 2025, and 12 March, 2026, around 1.895 million tonnes of rice were distributed, marking a 16.4% increase compared to the same period a year earlier.

State Minister for Food Md Abdul Bari told parliament that government warehouses held 17.71 lakh tonnes of food grains as of 13 April, including 14.64 lakh tonnes of rice and 3.07 lakh tonnes of wheat.

He added that under international tenders and G2G arrangements, 3.57 lakh tonnes of rice have been received against contracts for 6 lakh tonnes in the current fiscal year.

Looking ahead, the government plans to procure 12 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice, 1 lakh tonnes of non-parboiled rice and 5 lakh tonnes of paddy during the upcoming Boro procurement season from May to August, subject to final approval.

While increased supply has brought some relief to consumers, traders caution that fuel costs and market dynamics could still influence price trends in the coming weeks.

Published Date: April 22, 2026