BD signs deal to export boiled rice to Sri Lanka

FE Report | Published: December 04, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Bangladesh on Wednesday signed a deal with Sri Lanka for exporting boiled rice to the island nation, officials said.
Earlier, Bangladesh had decided to export 50,000 tonnes of rice following a request of the Sri Lankan government.
Price of rice per tonne has been fixed at US $450 (including shipment, insurance and other costs).
Once the shipment starts, the country will emerge as a coarse rice exporter, as no rice export, other than that of aromatic one, so far took place from the country.
Director General (DG) of the Directorate General of Food Sarwar Khan and Chairman of Lanka Sathosa Ltd N Fernando signed the accord on behalf of their respective sides at the conference room of the Ministry of Food (MoF).
The export will be under government-to- government (G-to-G) arrangement. As per the agreement, the shipment will start within the next 45 days. The food department will make the shipment of rice to Sri Lanka.
The shipment will be made in two phases. In the first phase, 25,000 tonnes of rice will go from Chittagong to Colombo port and the rest of the quantity will be exported later.
"It is a historic day. It's a good news for us. We feel proud as we are going to export rice to Sri Lanka," Food Minister Quamrul Islam told the media after signing the deal.
"Sri Lanka is our friendly country. Presently, we have a sufficient stock of food," he said.
He said export of rice to Sri Lanka will further bolster the bilateral relations. He said the country will be able to export rice to other countries in the future. The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Dhaka in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) early this year expressed the country's interest to import rice from Bangladesh on an emergency basis.
Following the request, the MoF placed the matter to the cabinet committee on economic affairs, seeking exemption of rice export from the existing restriction.
The cabinet committee approved the proposal on September 18 last, allowing export of 50,000 tonnes of boiled rice to Sri Lanka.
The MoF also sent a letter to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) on September 30 last requesting bringing in some changes on statutory regulatory order (SRO) to facilitate rice export to Sri Lanka.
The MoC, through a SRO in June 2014, had imposed a ban on export of all varieties of rice, except the aromatic ones, until June, 2015.
The MoF had asked the MoC on September 30 last to bring in some changes to the SRO to facilitate rice export to Sri Lanka.
The MoC last month amended the SRO, a hurdle in the way of the country's move for shipment of food grain. The amended SRO has the provision that allows the government to export rice to any country on a G-to-G basis.
Following this, the MoF sent a letter to the Sri Lankan authority on October 12 last through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveying the country's readiness to export rice.
A delegation, led by SR Attygalle, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Planning of Sri Lanka, had a meeting with Bangladesh food minister Quamrul Islam at his ministry on October 1 last.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the country's rice production was about 34.36 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2013-14, nearly 0.6 million tonnes higher than that of the previous fiscal.
The total food grains stock in the country is now 1.49 million tonnes. Of the quantity, 1.14 million tonnes are rice while 0.34 million tonnes wheat and 10,098 tonnes paddy, according to the Directorate of Food.
High officials of the MoF and the Lanka Sathosa Company among others were present.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com