KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that the Centre's decision to impose 20 percent customs duty on premium rice varieties such as 'Gobindobhog' has badly affected its export and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him for an exemption similar to the one given to Basmati rice.
In the letter, Banerjee addressed Modi as 'sir' and asked him "to kindly issue necessary instructions" in this regard.
"Unfortunately, the Government of India has imposed a 20 percent customs duty on rice, as a result of which the export business of the premium 'Gobindobhog' variety has been badly affected with a negative impact on the demand and domestic price of the paddy, and hence on the income of farmers," Banerjee wrote in her two-page letter to Modi.
"It is appreciated that Basmati, another popular high-value aromatic rice variety, has been exempted from the 20 percent customs duty.
It is, therefore, requested on the same logic by which Basmati has been exempted, the premium aromatic variety, Gobindobhog rice should also be exempted from such 20 percent customs duty on export at an early date to avoid loss of business and depriving benefits to our farmers," she added.
She said 'Gobindobhog' is "grown in a few districts of the state and it has been awarded geographical identification in October 2017".
"May I request you, Sir, to kindly issue necessary instructions for extending a similar exemption of the duty on export to the premium aromatic variety, Gobindobhog rice at the earliest," she added.