The government has cut the approved quota for aromatic rice exports by 50 percent to keep domestic rice supply normal, ensure food security and control possible price pressure in the market.

A notification issued by the Export-2 branch of the commerce ministry on Tuesday, 8 September, halved the aromatic rice export volumes allocated to 278 previously approved companies. The revised allocation takes effect immediately and the approvals remain valid until 31 December this year.

As a result, exporters from large food processors to medium and small firms cannot export more than half of their previously approved amount.

Alongside the quota cut, the commerce ministry has imposed 10 conditions to ensure monitoring, accountability and repatriation of foreign currency:

• The provisions of the Export Policy 2024-27 must be followed properly.
• The approval will remain valid until 31 December 2026.
• Customs will verify the quality and authenticity of the goods before each consignment is exported.
• Documents for each consignment must be submitted to the commerce ministry's Export-2 branch after shipment.
• Any future application for new export approval must include full information and proof of actual exports against the previous quota.
• Under no circumstances may rice be exported beyond the revised approved amount.
• To protect prices in the international market, the minimum FOB export price has been set at $1.60 per kg.
• The approval is entirely non-transferable; exports may not be made through sub-contracts or other companies.
• The government may cancel the approval at any time in the public interest without showing cause.
• Submitting a PRC (Proceeds Realization Certificate) as proof of repatriation of export earnings is mandatory.

Earlier, in two phases, the commerce ministry permitted 278 companies to export 45,270 tonnes of aromatic rice. By 30 August this year, 129 companies had exported a total of 2,419 tonnes.

The government's policy position is that while foreign-currency earnings from exports are important, domestic supply and price stability must take priority for food products. With that in mind, the aromatic rice export quota has been cut by 50 percent and strict conditions imposed on price, quantity, documents and repatriation of foreign currency.

Under the new arrangement, exporters must operate within the approved limits and give a full account of past exports when seeking future approvals. Those concerned believe this will increase control over aromatic rice exports while improving transparency and accountability in export management.

The main aim of the move is not to stop exports altogether, but to manage aromatic rice exports in a controlled and sustainable way while maintaining food security and market stability.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.