The government has decided to buy rice from millers at Tk 38 per kg this Boro season, which is 12 percent higher than the previous season.

The decision was taken yesterday at a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee at the secretariat, presided over by Food Minister Qamrul Islam.

The minister said the production cost of rice in this Boro season was Tk 36 per kg and the purchasing price was fixed adding Tk 2. Last year, the production cost of Boro rice was Tk 31 per kg, he said.

The meeting also decided to procure paddy for Tk 26 a kg directly from the farmers while last year the procurement price was Tk 22 per kg.

The food ministry in a statement said in the coming Boro season the government will buy 9 lakh tonnes of rice and 1.5 lakh tonnes of paddy. The procurement drive will start on May 2 and continue till August 31. This year, the agriculture ministry has fixed a target of 1.90 crore tonnes of Boro rice production. At present, the food reserve is 12.98 lakh tonnes, highest in the last 20 years, according to the food ministry.