Cooch Behar, March 26: Trucks carrying non-Basmati rice have started rolling into Bangladesh after the director-general of foreign trade decided to lift the border ban on those consignments for which the letters of credit were issued on or before March 6.

More than 5,000 trucks were stranded at the five land ports of Bengal after a notification was issued on March 5, raising the minimum export price for non-Basmati rice from $505 to $650 a tonne. The hike means exporters will have to pay higher duty to the central government.

“We received the new notification last evening and immediately contacted the customs so that the trucks could begin moving into Bangladesh,” said Uttam Karmakar, the secretary of the Changrabandha Exporters’ Association.

The trucks had been waiting at Changrabandha (in Cooch Behar district), Hili (South Dinajpur), Mahadipur (Malda), Petrapole and Gojadanga (both North 24 Parganas).

Despite the relaxation, the exporters have run up huge losses for the delay. They have had to pay the transporters daily charge for keeping the trucks engaged. “We have had to pay Rs 900 daily for ten-wheeled trucks and Rs 500 a day for six-wheeled trucks. Moreover, some amount of rice has also gone bad after being exposed to the elements,” Karmakar said.

The superintendent of the customs at Changrabandha, P.T. Bhutia, said 103 trucks carrying non-Basmati rice were stranded at the land port. “We have been allowing them to move into Bangladesh after receiving the notification.”