Bangladesh government plans subsidized rice sales for garment workers

The Ministry of Food in Bangladesh plans to launch a special Open Market Sale (OMS) programme to provide subsidized rice to garment workers.

The initiative aims to help workers cope with high inflation by allowing them to purchase up to 10kg of rice per month at a price of Tk 30 per kilogram. The government intends to start the programme on 20 November.

The Ministry of Food plans to distribute the rice through 75 trucks every Friday, which is the weekly holiday for the garment industry. Each truck will carry five tonnes of rice, making a total of 375 tonnes available for sale. The ministry intends to implement this plan in Dhaka city, Gazipur district, Narayanganj district, and Chattogram city, along with surrounding areas.

To fund the initiative, the Ministry of Food requested additional money from the Ministry of Finance for the 2026 to 27 financial year to cover transportation and truck operations. The ministry also requested an extra 4,500 tonnes of rice from government reserves to support the three-month programme. While the government seeks to reduce food expenses for workers, some labour representatives have criticized the plan.

Babul Akhter, a workers' representative on the Minimum Wage Board, stated that the arrangement is not dignified because workers must stand in long queues on their day off to save a small amount of money. He suggested that the government should instead deliver all essential commodities, such as lentils and edible oil, directly to factory gates.