The government will not withdraw and relax the ban on export of rice, particularly the fine grade, in consideration of the political sensitivity involved in the price of the main food grain. Commerce ministry sources said the ministry at a meeting with a group of rice traders on Monday rejected their plea for revising the ban on fine rice export.

Earlier, according to the food ministry, the government had been examining the option for export of a significant quantity of coarse rice to provide price incentive for the farmers, considering the price fall of rice after the harvest of Boro rice. A proposal to allow export of fine rice was pending with the commerce ministry, the regulatory authority in exports and imports. A section of traders, who in the recent years exported fine rice, lobbied with the commerce ministry, seeking opportunity to export fine rice which has demand on the international market.

Accordingly, they held the meeting with the commerce minister, Faruk Khan, on Monday and sought his favour in relaxing the ban the government had imposed in the backdrop of uncertainty in availability of food throughout the world. A meeting source said the minister rejected their proposal, saying that he was not in a position to consider their proposal because of the government’s compulsion to ensure stability in domestic grain price. Faruk, however, declined to make any comment on the outcome of the meeting. Also, the food ministry revised its move and decided not to export rice due to the forecast that global cereal production would decline this year and prices of food grains would go up.

-New Age