Country \\\'produces 29.5m tonnes foodgrains\\\' in last FY

Production of food grains in the country was 29.50 million tonnes in the last fiscal year (FY) against the demand of 29.20 million tonnes, Food Minister Quamrul Islam told Parliament on Sunday, reports UNB.
Of the total quantity, rice production was 28.40 million tonnes and wheat 1.10 million tonnes in FY-2013-14, he said, replying to a starred question from Habibur Rahman (Bogra-5).
The food minister told the House that the government imported 0.85 million tonnes of wheat (worth Tk 20.85 billion), but no rice in the fiscal.
Replying to a starred question from Didarul Alam (Chittagong-4), he said the government has set a target of procuring 1.07 million tonnes of rice in the current FY-2014-15.
The minister said the procurement of rice, which began on May 1 last, will continue until September 30.
As of July 7 this year, a total of 0.88 million tonnes of rice has been procured, he added.