Rice shipment from India, first for Yunus government, to arrive today

DHAKA: Bangladesh is set to receive its first consignment of rice imported from India since the formation of the new interim govt even as it looks to be drawing closer to Pakistan than to its immediate neighbour India, which stood beside Bangladesh in 1971 through shared sacrifices.

Bangladesh had witnessed ships coming from Karachi twice in recent days. On Nov 13, for the first time since independence, a container-carrying ship sailing directly from Karachi had docked at Chattogram (Chittagong).

This time the ship "MV Tanais Dream", carrying 24,690 metric tonnes of parboiled rice imported from India under the open tender agreement, will arrive at Chauddagram port at 5.30am on Thursday. This is also the first consignment of parboiled rice imported from India under the Nov 11 agreement.

The unloading of the rice will start soon after samples of the rice are collected and after physical examination, said a senior Bangladesh food ministry official.

Talking to diplomatic correspondents in Dhaka recently, Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma had said he was optimistic about Dhaka-Delhi relationship despite changes happening around. "This is how we look at the relationship. We have so many things to offer each other with our growing capabilities and rising ambitions to grow and develop," he said, reiterating that they strongly support a "democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive and inclusive" Bangladesh.