As part of a cooperative agreement, Bangladesh will import 100,000 tons of rice from Vietnam. The news was reported by Vietnam News on Thursday, February 20.
According to the Vietnam Food Association, the deal was made under a government-to-government (G2G) framework. The rice will be supplied by Vietnam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood II). Bangladesh is purchasing the rice at $474.25 per ton, which is higher than the international market price. Vietnam News claims that the price is justified as Vietnamese rice is of superior quality compared to other countries. This translates to a cost of slightly over 57 Taka per kg.
On January 28, Bangladesh’s Public Procurement Authority approved the rice import. The government will sell the imported rice under the Open Market Sale (OMS) program at 30 Taka per kg. A total of 907 tons of rice will be sold daily across 906 centers in the country.
Despite being one of the world’s largest rice producers, Bangladesh still imports a significant amount of rice. In 2023, the country imported 200,000 tons of rice from India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.