Ties frosty but Bangladesh to buy 50,000 tonnes of rice from India

DHAKA: The Bangladesh interim government has approved import of 50,000 tonnes of non-basmati parboiled rice from India to meet the domestic demand, a decision which demonstrates that the trade relationship between the two neighbours remains uninterrupted despite the recent chill in diplomatic ties.

The proposal on rice import was approved by the committee on govt purchase on Tuesday and a private Indian company will supply it to Bangladesh as the lowest bidder, according to sources. Importing 50,000 tonnes of rice at a price of $ 458.84 per tonne will cost $ 22,942,000 (around Rs 197 crore or Tk 280 crore).

The committee approved the policy proposal to import 6,00,000 tonnes of rice from international markets for FY 2024-25 for national emergency needs and public interest.