The government yesterday expanded open market sale (OMS) of rice further by increasing number of trucks and providing more rice to dealers in a bid to arrest price hike.

Fifty more trucks will sell OMS rice in the city from Friday, six days a week, instead of the current five days. The number of trucks in operation in the city is 200.

The decision was taken at a meeting after evaluation of OMS activities in the country. Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque presided over the meeting held at the ministry.

The meeting decided that each dealer in union level will be given 1.5 tonnes of rice instead of one tonne while dealers in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Khulna, Satkhira

and those in Sylhet division will get two tonnes.

TVvo dealers, instead of the present one, will be engaged in the districts.

Observing many irregularities in OMS activities, Razzaque asked concerned officials to strengthen their monitoring across the country.

In January and February, the government distributed rice among the ultra poor in the city through 'fair price cards' but despite the efforts, nothing could check the price hike.

The current reserve of food grains in government warehouses is about 9.2 lakh tonnes while another 2.18 lakh tonnes is now being unloaded at Chittagong port, said sources in the ministry.

Food Division Secretary Barun Dev Mitra, Disaster and Relief Division Secretary S Aslam Alm and Director General of food directorate Ahmad Hossain Khan were present.