Rice imports from India set to surge in flood-hit Bangladesh

New Delhi: Rice imports in flood-hit Bangladesh will rise in the coming months. Sources said that several private importers have already placed orders with Indian rice exporters. “These are not government-to-government deals but mostly in the private sector domain,” a person with direct knowledge told India Narrative.
According to All India Rice Exporters’ Association, in 2020-21, Bangladesh imported 4,91,000 tonne of rice from India. In 2021-22 the amount increased to 9,14,000 tonne.
At a time when the Russia-Ukraine war has already pushed global food prices, these severe floods could trigger food insecurity too in Bangladesh as large qualities of household stocks, especially in the rural areas have also got washed away in the flood.
Also Read Floods kill 82 people in Bangladesh Bangladesh and northeast India are experiencing one of the worst floods in decades due to incessant rains from upstream regions since the middle of this month.
“The floods will now add to the pressure and all the gains that Bangladesh made in strengthening its food security are now eroding,” a trade analyst dealing in South Asian studies told India Narrative.
Bangladesh is home to 165 million, of whom 38 per cent are engaged in the agricultural and fisheries sector.