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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh bans most rice exports | Bangladesh bans most rice exports |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Bangladesh has banned exports of nearly all the rice it produces to prevent shortages and keep food costs down. | Bangladesh has banned exports of nearly all the rice it produces to prevent shortages and keep food costs down. |
| The government said the ban began on Tuesday and will last six months. | |
| Bangladesh is the world's fourth largest rice importer but exports a small amount of aromatic rice, such as Basmati, to other countries. | |
| Rising prices for rice, wheat and other foodstuffs have been hitting poorer people in South Asia badly. | Rising prices for rice, wheat and other foodstuffs have been hitting poorer people in South Asia badly. |
| The rises have forced many Bangladeshis to reduce the amount they eat each day. Floods and storms last year compounded global supply problems and pushed prices up. | |
| 'Food security' | |
| The Bangladesh government ban follows similar moves in recent weeks by countries such as India, Vietnam and Egypt. | |
| Food queues have become longer as prices have gone up | |
| A kilogramme of coarse rice, the staple food of most Bangladeshis, now costs about $0.60 - double what it did a year ago. | |
| The government says it wants to stop exporters exploiting its rice export policy. | |
| "The move will help ensure food security and serve the country's interest," a senior commerce ministry official was quoting as saying by the Daily Star. | |
| Bangladesh produces about 29 million tonnes of coarse rice annually for its 140 million people and imports some three million tonnes. | |
| Rice exports were worth about $5.4m in the first eight months of the fiscal year (July-June), officials say. Imports cost about $600m - 10 times higher than for the same period the year before. | |
| Officials have said they fear social unrest unless they act over food, and many people have been queuing to buy government-subsidised rice. | |
| Bangladesh's most important rice harvest, called Boro, has now begun and the government expects a bumper crop this year. | |
| Correspondents say this should ease problems, at least in in the short term. |