The minimum export price of non-Basmati rice from India has gone up from $500 to $650. There have been assurances that the price hike will not affect the export of five lakh tonnes of rice that India promised to Bangladesh. However, it would surely affect rice trade between the two countries, resulting in higher prices of rice in Bangladesh. The move by the Indian government is not unique in the recent context as a number of other major food producing countries have imposed certain measures to ensure internal food security against the backdrop of skyrocketing prices of food essentials and dwindling global food stocks. India, or for that matter, any country is free to decide in what terms and for what prices it would export its products to further its national interests. The problem here is the lack of foresight and homework of Bangladesh’s policymakers – meaning the council of advisers to the military-controlled interim government. The incumbents have failed to collect enough data regarding the country’s food stock which would have provided adequate information about the possible food requirement. Now that the government is caught unawares, the possibility of importing food, particularly rice from India, is gradually becoming increasingly difficult. The government must do whatever it takes to ensure import of enough rice to replenish the food stock to a level that would meet the domestic demand at least until the boro harvest. The rising prices in the international market, dwindling global food stock and export restrictions of some form by major producers imply that food security, if not food sufficiency, in the staple food items is increasingly becoming imperative and necessary when considering the country’s development policies in general and agricultural policies in particular. This recent price hike adds much significance to the boro harvest, which is expected to be a bumper one this year, especially since acreage has been increased to a record 45 lakh hectares. However, one must keep in mind that hybrid paddy that has been cultivated on almost a third of the acreage might be severely affected due to frequent and sharp temperature fluctuations and furthermore that due to the poor supply of fertilisers, overall paddy production might be affected.These apprehensions of experts and officials should be kept in mind when looking into future food procurement if only to ensure that there is enough grain in stock or in the pipeline to feed the people of the country, unlike in recent times when the incumbents appear to be scrambling about to import rice in vain. The incumbents should devise a concerted plan to boost agricultural production.