Ashuganj mega rice silo awaits completion after 84% progress

Construction of a modern steel rice silo with a storage capacity of 105,000 tonnes in Ashuganj upazila of Brahmanbaria has reached 84% completion, but the remaining work has stalled following the expiry of the project deadline.

The state-of-the-art facility, being built on the bank of the Meghna River, will feature an automated cooling and pest-control system to regulate temperature and humidity, allowing food grains to be stored for extended periods without compromising quality.

The silo is expected to strengthen food security, improve grain storage capacity and reduce government expenditure on transporting rice to other districts.

The project is part of the Modern Food Storage Construction Project, implemented by the Ministry of Food and the Directorate General of Food with financial assistance from the World Bank. 

Seven steel rice silos are being constructed at different locations across the country under the initiative. An agreement for the construction of the Ashuganj silo was signed with Tama Construction and Company Limited-Fremi Joint Venture on 4 April 2018.

The project was initially scheduled for completion in June 2021. Its deadline was later extended to June 2022 and subsequently to June 2024 due to delays, including disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, construction stopped after 84% of the work was completed.

Officials concerned said the district's 10 food warehouses have a combined storage capacity of 21,500 tonnes, while their maximum storage capacity can reach around 27,000 tonnes. Every year, around 70,000 to 80,000 tonnes of rice are transported to different storage facilities outside the district, including the central food storage facility in Chattogram. This increases transportation costs and creates difficulties in food grain procurement and distribution.

They expect the modern silo to improve the efficiency of food grain collection and storage while reducing transportation expenses. Rice mill owners supplying the government warehouses are also expected to benefit from the facility.

Md Mehedi Hasan Menon, acting silo superintendent, said 84% of the construction had been completed before the project period expired.

He said the government had been informed about the importance of completing the project and that the extension process was underway. “We hope construction will resume and the project will be completed soon,” he added.