Dhaka: India has assured Bangladesh that the export of five lakh tonnes of rice promised by it post cyclone Sidr would take place by early February, officials said here today.

Quoting Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, foreign ministry officials said three state-run Indian trading companies had expressed their willingness to supply rice as pledged by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who visited Bangladesh last month.

Chakravarty said this during his meeting with Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain and Food and Disaster Management secretary Ayub Mian, and discussed the modus operandi of rice import and funding of reconstruction of 10 cyclone-affected villages in southwestern coastline.

India had earlier decided to export five lakh tonnes of rice to Bangladesh relaxing a ban on rice export abroad in view of the devastating cyclone Sidr . Food secretary Ayub Mian said they asked three Indian trading companies to send the price quotation of rice at the earliest while the "Indian high commissioner assured us of sending those within a couple of days".

The Indian high commissioner said that three public procurement companies MMTC, STC and NAFED would supply rice to Bangladesh purchasing it from local market while the "two countries would work out a mechanism to set the price ceiling".

Officials earlier hinted that the rate would be USD 425 a tonne. Foreign ministry officials earlier said they already handed over a list of 10 severely-affected villages of Southkhali thana under Barguna district while the Indian envoy said the rehabilitation works would begin "very shortly".

Source : PTI