Dhaka to revise quota proposal for food imports from India

Bangladesh - at a high-level meeting today - is set to review its quota proposal regarding the imports of seven essentials from India.

According to commerce ministry sources, Senior Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh will preside over Tuesday’s meeting to revise the quota proposal for rice, wheat, sugar, onion, garlic, lentils, and ginger imports.

The meeting comes after India objected to an initial proposal by Bangladesh during Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi’s recent visit to the neighbouring country.

In its initial proposal, the commerce ministry had asked for 9 lakh tonne rice, 45 lakh tonne wheat, 15 lakh tonne sugar, 7 lakh tonne onion, 1.25 lakh tonne ginger, 30 lakh tonne lentils, and 10 lakh tonne garlic.

India had nodded to provide the quota facility but said the proposed quantities were too high.

“They said the amounts mentioned were based on guesswork. We have to determine the actual required quantity of a product,” Minister Tipu said after his India trip.

A commerce ministry source said, “Indian authorities have asked for a new list of revised quotas for the import items. Tuesday’s meeting will review the demand, import, production and supply data for the last 10 years to determine the potential quantities.” The revised quantities will be sent to India.

The source also said the revised proposal may see further change upon bilateral discussions between the countries.

According to officials, there is a possibility of a food crisis in the future, and the government wants to ensure the country’s food security. The government had asked India, the main supplier of essential commodities to Bangladesh, for the annual quota to ensure uninterrupted imports.

Secretary Tapan said, “Occasionally India imposes restrictions on food exports to meet domestic demand. Our proposal is that India will export the listed products to Bangladesh every year by keeping this ban relaxed in the case of Bangladesh.”