Staff Correspondent, Bogra, The Daily Star, 13 May 2008

The government will import rice from neighbouring India despite bumper Boro production in the country this season, said Food and Disaster Management Adviser Dr AMM Shawkat Ali.

“If necessary, the government will procure rice beyond the target in this Boro season,” he told journalists while answering to questions at a meeting on Boro paddy procurement and food situation at Bogra Circuit House yesterday.

The adviser said though price of rice have increased in the international markets, Bangladesh is importing rice from India at $430 per metric tonnes as per contract.

He also said steps have been taken to use the godowns of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) to meet the space crisis in godowns.

Responding to the observations of rice mill owners and businessmen that they face problems for power cuts, the adviser said government has already taken measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply for rice mills.

Bogra Deputy Commissioner Humayun Kabir presided over the meeting while Divisional Commissioner Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, Bogra District Rice Mill Owners Association President Aminul Haque spoke.

Pti, New Delhi, The Daily Star, 01 September 2007, Saturday

India is sending a strong team to Geneva where talks on the latest proposals on agriculture subsidy and market access will resume September 3, although New Delhi has rejected the World Trade Organisation (WTO) text on the industrial goods.

Officials on Thursday indicated hectic parleys are on between key WTO players, including India, to explore the possibility of holding a ministerial meeting in the middle of October.

Ministerial Meeting, comprising trade ministers of 150 member countries, is the highest policy-making organ of the World Trade Organisation and generally meets once in two years to take stock of the multilateral trade negotiations.

“We expect some progress if WTO Chief Pascal Lamy brings some changes in the NAMA text, as the present text is considered ‘fundamentally flawed and biased’ by 110 members,” an official said.

The Doha Round of negotiations, launched in 2001, had to conclude by the end of 2004 but has missed several deadlines.

After the collapse of the G-4 talks between the US, EU, India and Brazil in June this year, Lamy made renewed efforts to bring the round on the rails. He succeeded in getting prepared the drafts on Agriculture and NAMA (Non Agricultural Market Access).

India has accepted the agriculture text as a “good basis for further negotiations,” but rejected the proposals seeking higher duty cuts on industrial products by developing nations.