Stranded trucks at Mahadipur in Malda on Sunday. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, Feb. 10: The West Bengal Exporters’ Coordination Committee has threatened to stall import of all kinds of items from Bangladesh if the Union commerce and industry ministry does not lift the ban on export of rice to the neighbouring country by Tuesday.

Concerned over the rice stock in the country, the ministry had imposed the ban on exporting non-Basmati rice since Friday. Following this, the excise department has stopped export of rice at the four land ports in north Bengal since yesterday.

The secretary of the committee, Ujjal Saha, said: “The commerce ministry has imposed a ban, while the agriculture and food product export development authority says those who have received letters of credit from Bangladesh can export rice worth $500. There is total confusion.”

The committee members held an emergency meeting in Calcutta during the day and decided to stop all export to and import from Bangladesh, if the ban continues. They also sent a fax message to the director-general of foreign trade, R.S.Gujral, demanding immediate withdrawal of the ban.

According to Saha, more than 500 trucks have been stranded at the Mahadipur border in Malda. The scene is the same at Changrabandha in Cooch Behar, Hili in South Dinajpur, Ghoshdanga in Jalpaiguri and Petrapole in North 24 Parganas.

Assistant commissioner of the excise department at Mahadipur Abdur Rauf Nayek confirmed receiving the ban order on Friday.