Govt in talks with BSF as rice, sugar smuggling rises after export ban

Smuggling of sugar to Bangladesh has gone up following India’s refusal to send one million tonnes of sugar under the government-to-government (G2G) route. The government did not grant permission citing limited availability in the country, said two people aware of the matter.

- Puja Das

Additionally, there has been a surge in broken rice smuggling to neighbouring countries after India last September restricted exports to augment supplies in the domestic market and keep prices in check.

Similarly, the department of food and public distribution (DFPD) moved sugar exports to ‘restricted’ from ‘free’ category in October last year, which is set to be in place until 30 October this year to ensure adequate domestic supply.