Bangladesh import duty hike hits an already tottering Bengal rice market

The rice economy of West Bengal, already stifled by lack of demand, is now facing further threat from loss of import market in Bangladesh.

Last year, Bangladesh imposed a 28 per cent import duty on rice from India, against two per cent earlier. This led to massive fall of non-basmati rice exports from India to Bangladesh, by about Rs 3,278 crore in value. Data from APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) shows that non-basmati exports from India to Bangladesh fell from about 1.7 million tonnes worth Rs 4,463 crore, in April-February 2017-18 to 420,000 tonnes (Rs 1,186