http://www.newagebd.com/2008/may/04/busi.html#1
New Age, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Nepal=92s ban on grain ex****t worries Banglade**** traders
By Kazi Azizul Islam in Dhaka and Abdur Rahim in Panchagarh
Nepal=92s ban on grain ex****t has worried Banglade**** im****ters about
the local market supply of wheat and red lentil as they procure
significant quantities of the two food items from the Himalayan
kingdom.
Market sources said following Indian ban on wheat ex****t,
Banglade**** traders in recent months turned to Nepal, which has also
been a reliable source of red lentil for long.
On April 30, Nepal=92s ministry of industry and commerce announced a
ban on ex****ting food grains until mid-November 2008.
=91The ban on ex****t of grains from Nepal will impact local market
supply as many Banglade**** traders discovered Nepal as a good source
for wheat after India had banned its ex****t,=92 said Abdur Razaak, a
flour miller in Dhaka.
Ahsan Habib, customs superintendent at Banglabandha land ****t in
Panchagarh, informed that Banglade**** traders im****ted 15,000-17,000
tonnes of wheat every month during past three or four months from
Nepal.
Razzak, who is also the president of Maulvibazar Merchant
Association in Dhaka, observed that as supply of new stocks of locally
harvested wheat remained satisfactory, Nepal=92s ban might not have any
immediate impact on local prices. But negative impacts could be
palpable after a few weeks, he cautioned.
Market sources estimated that wheat supply from Nepal constituted
10-15 per cent of the total wheat im****ts in recent months.
Mohammed Zahid, a red lentil im****ter, said they were receiving no
fresh offers from suppliers in Nepal although it was not clear whether
the ban would also include red lentil.
=91If the ban is enforced on red lentil too, it will definitely have
negative impacts on local market supply and price of the food item,=92
said Zahid, who is also a trader at Rahmatganj, the country=92s largest
wholesale market of pulses.
The Banglabandha customs officials told New Age that some 600-800
tonnes of red lentils were being im****ted by Banglade**** traders every
month.
Banglade**** traders procure major ****tion of the country=92s annual
lentil im****t of more than two lakh tonnes from Turkey and Canada, but
Nepal=92s red lentil are admired more by local consumers for its
likeness to local variety in taste and appearance.
Red lentil accounts for more than half of Bangladesh=92s total
im****ts from Nepal.
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