iGrain India - The Bangladesh government has decided to import at least 2 lakh tonnes (200,000 tonnes) of rice from India to address potential supply shortages in the coming months. The first shipment of 27,000 tonnes of rice recently arrived at the Chittagong port in Bangladesh.
Although there is no immediate shortage, damage to the paddy crop caused by natural disasters has led to concerns over a 10-12 lakh tonnes (1-1.2 million tonnes) decline in rice production, which may create a shortage in the future.
To avoid this crisis, the government is already taking steps to build up its rice stock by importing. The current plan includes importing 2 lakh tonnes of non-Basmati Sela rice from India.
Additionally, one lakh tonnes will be imported through international tenders, while another 1 lakh tonnes will be brought in through government-to-government (G2G) agreements.
In total, the government has issued rice import permits for 16 lakh tonnes for private traders, all sourced from India.
Furthermore, a G2G contract has been signed to import 1 lakh tonnes of rice from Myanmar, with talks ongoing to import from other countries such as Vietnam and Pakistan.
To facilitate these imports, the Bangladesh government has removed the customs duty on rice, which has encouraged large-scale rice imports from India. As a result, it is expected that Bangladesh's total rice imports in the coming period could reach between 22-25 lakh tonnes.