Rice imports from India resumed after a two-year hiatus, with the first shipment arriving through Benapole port last night.

Three trucks carrying 105 tonnes of non-basmati rice reached the transshipment yard as part of the initial shipment imported by Mahabubul Alam Food Products, a company based in Jashore. The rice is expected to be delivered from the port by Monday afternoon.

Hemanto Kumar Sarkar, deputy assistant at the Benapole Checkpost Plant Quarantine Center, confirmed that Mahabubul Alam Food Products obtained an IP certificate for 105 tonnes of rice in the first shipment. An additional 100 tonnes from the same importer are scheduled to arrive shortly.

The clearing and forwarding (C&F) agent, Hussain & Sons, is managing the delivery of the imported rice.

The shipment is valued at $45,150, equivalent to Tk 54.18 lakh, according to Ziaur Rahman, manager of the C&F agency. He noted that after including additional costs such as letter of credit (LC) charges, export fees, transportation, port rent, and bank fees, the price of the imported rice stands at around Tk 55 per kilogram.

Importers said that rising rice prices in the domestic market prompted the government to withdraw import duties, facilitating the resumption of imports. With India lowering export prices, import volumes are expected to increase, potentially stabilising domestic rice prices soon.

From the 24 authorised importers, 12 from the Jashore region have been permitted to import 73,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice and 19,000 tonnes of atap rice. However, traders raised concerns about meeting the December 10 deadline to import and market all allocated quantities.

India had previously banned the export of parboiled and non-parboiled rice on July 20, 2023.

Benapole Customs House Deputy Commissioner Ravindra Singha said that on November 11, the Food Ministry allowed 24 companies to import rice, including 120,000 tonnes of parboiled rice and 55,000 tonnes of non-parboiled rice.

Importers are required to market the rice in Bangladesh by December 10, adhering to strict conditions, including the prohibition of rebranding and mandatory sale in original sacks.

Benapole Land Port Deputy Director (Traffic) Sajib Nazir added that field-level officers have been instructed to expedite document verification and clearance for all consignments.

Published Date: November 18, 2024