DHAKA: Bangladesh’s state grains buyer has purchased 50,000 tonnes of rice at $438.00 a tonne CIF liner out which was offered in a tender on Sept. 12, officials said on Wednesday. The proposal received approval from Bangladesh’s cabinet purchase committee on Wednesday, officials at the state grains buyer said. European traders said the non-basmati, parboiled rice was likely to be sourced from Thailand. The rice should be shipped 40 days after the contract signing. The seller was Thai-based company Siam Rice Trading.
Bangladesh, the world’s fourth-biggest rice producer, has emerged as a major importer this year due to depleted stocks and record local prices following floods which damaged crops. The government is making major efforts to build state reserves. Bangladesh is to buy 100,000 tonnes of rice from Myanmar, putting aside worsening relations over the Rohingya refugee crisis as the government seeks to overcome the shortage of Bangladesh’s staple food. Bangladesh’s government has already secured deals to buy rice from Vietnam and Cambodia as domestic stocks diminished.
