Economic Reporter :
The government has decided to increase duty on rice import to ensure market stability in the wake of a bumper production. The current duty is 10 per cent.
The new rate would be announced in a couple of days, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said on Thursday after a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee.
“Indian rice has already arrived in the market because of a delay in raising the duty,” he said. “This is unacceptable. Farmers will be harmed if the duty is not raised,” he added.
The minister said there was no crisis of fertiliser and seeds in the country. “The farmers are being given loans at a low interest rate. We are exporting rice after bumper production. We also helped Nepal out with rice,” he said.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, State Minister for Food Nuruzzaman Ahmed, and officials from the Directorate General of Food attended the meeting.
The government has decided to increase duty on rice import to ensure market stability in the wake of a bumper production. The current duty is 10 per cent.
The new rate would be announced in a couple of days, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said on Thursday after a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee.
“Indian rice has already arrived in the market because of a delay in raising the duty,” he said. “This is unacceptable. Farmers will be harmed if the duty is not raised,” he added.
The minister said there was no crisis of fertiliser and seeds in the country. “The farmers are being given loans at a low interest rate. We are exporting rice after bumper production. We also helped Nepal out with rice,” he said.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, State Minister for Food Nuruzzaman Ahmed, and officials from the Directorate General of Food attended the meeting.
