Bangladesh will import 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from India through the railways for the first time. The proposal was okayed by the cabinet committee on purchase at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Daily Star said. Indian firm Saurabh Industries Ltd will supply the rice at  USD 386 per tonne.

The rice will be imported from India's Kolkata and Chhattisgarh and would be transported by train through Benapole, Darshana and Rohanpur borders, Shahida Akhter, additional secretary of the cabinet division, told a virtual media briefing after the meeting.

The rice will be brought by train from India so that it can be imported in the shortest possible time, she said.

 The government was forced to procure rice from international markets as the stocks at the public warehouses have hit an unusual low.

According to the food ministry, the government had 462,000 tonnes of food grains in its stock on April 20, the lowest since 2008 when the stock fell to 280,000 tonnes.