Butwal, Feb. 26: The Rice Mills Association, Rupandehi handed in a memorandum to the district administration office demanding a halt to the import and export of rice from and to India in view of the crisis this was causing to local rice mills.

The seven-point demand put forth by the association includes waiving of custom duty on the import of paddy from India, imposition of custom duty on the rice imported from India to bring it in line with the Nepalese rice market, granting of permission for rice import in conformity with the local demand, and rebates on electricity tariff for the rice mills.

The memorandum also refers to attempts to cheat consumers through the sale of rotten rice from India on the one hand and the creation of more obstacles to local rice mills on the other hand. The association has also demanded that the government take this issue seriously since a number of rice mills are on the verge of collapse.