The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Uncertainty over shipment of rice

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 28, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Uncertainty over shipment of rice

Correspondent

Unloading of rice stocks from two ships has aggravated the situation

Kakinada: Things appears to be moving from bad to worse in case of the rice exporters who are facing a lot of hurdles owing to ban on rice exports.

As the uncertainty looms large over the Rs. 400 crores worth of rice stocks ready for shipments in various godowns owing to the ban, the fresh order of the customs authorities to unload the rice stocks already loaded in to two ships has further aggravated the situation. Of these two vessels _ m.v. Man Pung has already got loaded 11331 tonnes of rice while m.v. Nordana was loaded 12,078 tonnes.

But the customs authorities have asked the shippers to unload around 5,600 tonnes from the first ship and 4,600 tonnes from the other, on the ground that stock was loaded after Oct 9 without letters of credit.

“It is ridiculous and also a mockery on the part of the authorities to issue such erratic order. The loading of rice was done perfectly with the knowledge of customs authorities and it is meaningless to ask for unloading. It amounts to harassment,” said a leading clearing and forwarding agent while expressing his anguish over the present state of affairs. Most pathetic is the case of another shipper, who has to load about 20000 tonnes of rice in to the vessel m.v. Qsm Dubai. After a long wait for 10 days, it has sailed away empty on Friday without loading a single grain on account of the restrictions. The only ship that sailed away with full load of rice was m.v. Sea Home sun taking 2800 tonnes to Bangladesh under the food aid programme.

Joint meet

The efforts of the rice exporters to prevail over the commissioner customs and the State Ports Director on allowing the ships waiting at the anchorage to be loaded with rice as per the LCs, during their joint meeting have proved futile. The port authorities did not budge on the request of the exporters on certifying the rice stocks lying in godowns outside the port area. Meanwhile the Joint Collector GSRKR Vijayakumar under instructions from the CM’s office has held discussions on Friday with the rice millers and exporters on the rice stocks available in various godowns and the present situation.

He told The Hindu on Saturday that he had sent a report to the Government stating that 5.84 lakh tonnes of rice stocks worth over Rs.884 crores were available in the godowns of which 1.2 lakh tonnes are in transit, 99,500 tonnes loaded into ships and 3.80 lakh tonnes are in godowns .Of these stocks Rs 527crores worth of rice was having the LCs and CAD’s.

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