Govt to export 50,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka
Govt to export 50,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka
Hasan Jahid Tusher
Encouraged by a bumper yield and good stocks at home, the government has decided to export at least 50,000 tonnes of rice, first of its kind since the independence, to Sri Lanka in the current fiscal year.
The decision came at the cabinet meeting yesterday, two months after the government extended the ban on non-fragrant rice export until June 2015 in order to ensure good supply and control price hikes in the local market.
Notifying the cabinet about this year's rice production, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said the Sri Lankan government had sought one lakh tonnes of rice from Bangladesh.
In response, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who chaired the meeting suggested that he should better export 50,000 tonnes now considering the flood situation, cabinet sources said.
If there is a good Aman harvest, another 50,000 tonnes of rice will be exported under government to government arrangement, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told The Daily Star.
Bangladesh has so far exported only aromatic rice in small quantities. In the last two fiscal years, export of aromatic rice amounted to Tk 77 crore, according to government statistics.
On the other hand, the government imported 3,000 tonnes of non-fragrant rice in the last fiscal year. This year the rice production has been satisfactory fulfilling the demand of the local market. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projected a slight increase in the rice production this year.
Govt to export 50,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka
Hasan Jahid Tusher
Encouraged by a bumper yield and good stocks at home, the government has decided to export at least 50,000 tonnes of rice, first of its kind since the independence, to Sri Lanka in the current fiscal year.
The decision came at the cabinet meeting yesterday, two months after the government extended the ban on non-fragrant rice export until June 2015 in order to ensure good supply and control price hikes in the local market.
Notifying the cabinet about this year's rice production, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said the Sri Lankan government had sought one lakh tonnes of rice from Bangladesh.
In response, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who chaired the meeting suggested that he should better export 50,000 tonnes now considering the flood situation, cabinet sources said.
If there is a good Aman harvest, another 50,000 tonnes of rice will be exported under government to government arrangement, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told The Daily Star.
Bangladesh has so far exported only aromatic rice in small quantities. In the last two fiscal years, export of aromatic rice amounted to Tk 77 crore, according to government statistics.
On the other hand, the government imported 3,000 tonnes of non-fragrant rice in the last fiscal year. This year the rice production has been satisfactory fulfilling the demand of the local market. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projected a slight increase in the rice production this year.
