The export of Burmese rice to Bangladesh has been increasing over the past few days as it garners fair prices and meets high demand in Bangladesh markets, said a Burmese border trader.

"Rice exports from Burma were stopped some months ago, due to falling demand in Bangladeshi border markets. With prices climbing, Burmese rice is coming here again in mass shipments," he told Narinjara on condition of anonymity.

One sack of Burmese rice or 50 kilograms is currently priced between 1,400 to 1,500 Taka in Bangladesh markets.

Since 26 January, nearly 700 metric tons of Burmese rice has been exported to Bangladesh through the Teknaf land port on the border, said the source.

Border business sources said the rice being exported to Bangladesh is produced in Irrawaddy, Taninthari, and Arakan State. Htoo Company and Arakan Border Trading Group, locally known as Na-Ka-Tha, play primary roles in cross-border rice exports.

While the big companies involved with top officers of the Burmese regime are freely allowed overseas trading of rice on a large scale, the transportation or trading of rice and paddy from one village to another across Arakan State has been banned by the local authorities, according to an Arakanese farmer from Maungdaw, a town on the western Burma border.

The currency exchange rate in the border market today is 1.00 Bangladeshi Taka to 14.30 Burmese Kyat.