55 lakh low-income and poor families across Bangladesh will receive 30 kilograms of rice per month at a subsidised rate of Tk15 per kilogram from next month, according to Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder.

He announced this while briefing reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday. He said that the government’s food-friendly programme will resume from August.

Under this initiative, each of the 5.5 million families will be entitled to 30 kilograms of rice monthly for six months, at the reduced rate of Tk15 per kg.

According to official sources, the government is preparing in advance to ensure food security and address the impact of ongoing floods. As part of this effort, 400,000 tonnes of rice will be imported under government management, while the Ministry of Commerce has been instructed to facilitate the import of an additional 500,000 tonnes through private channels.

The subsidised rice will be distributed during the months of August, September, October, and November. The programme will be temporarily paused in December and January, and will resume again in February and March.