Govt moves to export coarse rice to Sri Lanka amid fear of crop loss

The government has taken an initiative to export coarse variety of rice to Sri Lanka amid fear of huge crop loss due to the on- going flash flood, sources said.
Following an urgent request from the Sri Lankan government to Bangladesh last month for exporting 0.5 million tonnes of boiled coarse rice, the latter is positively considering the matter as the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Food have in the mean time given clearance to export the rice.
The government through its SRO No 196-ain/2014, dated 15 June, 2014 prohibited export of any kind of rice except aromatic variety until  June 30, 2015 with a view to ensuring available supply and fair price of such rice in the local market.
But the food ministry in a letter to the commerce ministry on August 26, 2014 wrote that the government had a stock of around 1.1 million tonnes of rice in its food warehouses which is 0.25 million tonnes higher than that of a year earlier.
"So considering the available stock and future prospect of introducing the country as a rice exporting one, the said quantity of rice can be exported," the authority concerned opined through the letter.
However, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), more than 0.128 million hectares of cultivated lands in different districts across the country have gone under water and the department is fearing losses of around 0.3 million tonnes of aman rice in the upcoming season due to the unwanted natural calamity.
"We have initiated to set up a buffer seedbed on 100 acres of land from where different varieties of seedlings could be distributed among the affected farmers, but now we are not sure whether the initiative would work or not as the flood situation is worsening every day," additional Director (Monitoring Cell) of Field Service Wing of the DAE Sunil Chandra Dhar told the FE.
Meanwhile, trade association leaders also expressed their deep concern over the government's move to export the rice despite fearing the further worsening of the flood situation.
Opposing the government's decision, president of Exporters' Association of Bangladesh (EAB), Abdus Salam Murshidi said, "Exporting a new product will open new era of business for the country but the government should consider the sensitivity of exporting the item."
"We cannot understand how the government is initiating to export rice as it is yet to measure how much crops will be affected due to the on-going devastating flood."
"If there is excess production then there is no problem to export, but in the prevailing situation we are already uncertain over the production in the upcoming season. So, I will urge the government to withhold the decision until the situation comes under control and the authority could assess the extent of crop damage due to flood," he added.
However, commerce minister Tofail Ahmed said that though different ministries have given positive opinion over the issue, the government will take final decision after having report from the ministry of agriculture.
"Re-cultivation of crop in the flood affected areas is still possible if the situation improves immediately. We will take final decision after receiving opinion from the Ministry of Agriculture," he added.