Two shipments of rice from Vietnam and India recently arrived at Chattogram port as part of the government's initiative to bolster food stocks and stabilise domestic prices.

A bulk carrier, MV Truong An Ship, transporting 17,800 tonnes of atap rice from Vietnam, anchored at the outer port of Chattogram on March 10.

This marks the first delivery from the 100,000 tonnes purchased from Vietnam under a government-to-government agreement signed in February, according to Gnana Priya Bidurshi Chakma, controller of movement and storage at Chattogram under the Directorate General of Food.

In addition, another vessel, MV Rek Elite, carrying 21,080 tonnes of parboiled rice from India, arrived on March 8, he added.

Samples of the imported rice have been collected from both ships and sent to the Regional Food Testing Laboratory in Halishahar, Chattogram for quality testing, Bidurshi confirmed.

Once the test results are received, unloading of the cargo will commence, he further stated.