The report says that private sector traders are preparing to abandon rice imports due to certain government policies.
Rice importers say that this situation has arisen because the government has refused to reduce the duty of Rs. 65 imposed on a kilo of imported rice or increase the price of imported rice, despite their requests.
The President has allowed large-scale millers who have borrowed heavily from banks to increase the price of rice by another Rs. 10 by changing the control price. Importers point out that the large-scale millers will receive an additional profit of Rs. 50-60 million from this concession.
Importers say that in order to end the current rice crisis in the country, private importers must import between fifty thousand and one hundred thousand metric tons of rice, and that if the government does not provide facilities for this, they are at risk of withdrawing.