Dhaka, Jan. 29 -- Following a snail's pace in the first two and half months, the government's rice procurement increased substantially in January thanks to a fall in the prices of coarse rice in the milling hubs.

The Directorate General of Food (DGoF) procured 0.29 million tonnes of rice, 58 per cent of the target, until Saturday evening, according to the Directorate.

Rising imports in the recent weeks and the government's plan to sell rice at subsidised rate might have contributed to push down the prices of coarse and hybrid rice, sector insiders said.

A senior official at the DGoF said that out of the total procurement, more than 60,000 tonnes were procured just in the last 10 days (January 20-28) from Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dinajpur and...