April 13: Rice and oil industrialists have urged the government to encourage domestic products by tightening the import of food grains from foreign countries. A delegation including office bearers of the Association of Nepalese Rice, Oil and Pulses Industry recently met and drew the attention of the Director General of the Department of Customs Kamal Prasad Bhattarai regarding the issue.    
The delegation led by the association’s Chairperson Dr Subodh Kumar Gupta demanded that rice industries within the country be saved by discouraging the import of rice from foreign countries. He suggested an increment in customs fees so as to discourage the import. He urged the Director General Bhattarai to impose one percent customs duty on the import of paddy grains and 15 percent on rice.    
They have also demanded an increment in custom duty on the import of pulses. They suggested 20 percent custom fees on the import of ready-made pulses. -- RSS