If the answer is there right next door, there’s no point clamouring for a solution or reinventing a remedy. Now in Bangladesh’s case, the government has planned to buy only 1.85 million tons of rice from farmers, who as projections go, would grow over 35 million tons of rice in 2018-19. Simply speaking, by procuring rice directly from farmers, West Bengal can dictate the market price of the staple. Over 2 million tons of rice entered Bangladesh in 2017- 2018 and still more rice is in the import pipeline. Market sources consider giving subsidies in rice exports to be a poor proposition as the benefits, they fear, will not trickle down to the rice farmers.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 20, 2019 17:26 UTC