Rice imports resume from India via Benapole after 4 months

Rice imports from India have resumed through the Benapole land port after a four-month hiatus.

The first shipment, carried in nine Indian trucks, brought in 315 tonnes of rice around 10:30pm Thursday, according to Sajedur Rahman, secretary general of the Benapole C&F Staff Association.

Shyamal Kumar Nath, deputy assistant officer at the port’s plant quarantine unit, said samples were collected and tested immediately on Thursday night, and certificates were issued quickly to facilitate prompt clearance.

Before that, the last rice import through Benapole was on Apr 15 this year.

Abdus Samad, owner of importing firm Haji Musa Karim & Sons, said each kg of rice was imported at $0.405, equivalent to Tk 51.

Additional costs, including transport, taxes and storage, will be added for market distribution. He said the nine trucks had been waiting at India’s Petrapole port since Tuesday.

Additional rice-laden trucks remain at Petrapole, with bills of entry submitted to Benapole Customs and clearance in process.

Aminul Haque, vice president of Benapole Importers-Exporters Association, said the food ministry invited private-sector applications to import rice to stabilise the market.

Applications for permits were accepted between Jul 23 and Aug 7. With approval granted, imports have resumed through Benapole after a four-month halt.