02/10/2015: Government intervention to curb imports urged by Nepal rice traders

Image: Iqbal Osman

According to sources, Nepal's rice traders and millers are facing a hard time due to an  increase in rice imports from India, especially through land borders, RiceOutlook.com says. 

Traders say that Nepal has been flooded with cheap Indian rice since the government of India has lifted the ban on non-basmati rice exports in September 2011. Further, it has been noted that Indian rice is cheaper by about Rs50-100 per quintal (around US$0.46 - US$0.92 per ton) compared to domestic rice.

Rice traders have also observed that local rice output is sufficient to meet 70 percent of the country's consumption demand while the remaining 30 percent can be imported by the government in official shipments. Since increasing imports are hurting the local rice sector, traders have urged the government to allow only sufficient imports to make up the 30 percent deficit in the domestic market. A lower agriculture reform charge on rice imports has also encouraged more imports. In this regard, it has been demanded that the government hike the agriculture reform charge from the current 8 percent to 10 percent to curb imports. The government was also asked to enhance the existing 5 percent charge on paddy imports. 

Read the rest of the article HERE.

 

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