Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – The government on Thursday imposed a ban on export of all kinds of rice for six months aiming to increase the supply of essential to domestic markets, officials said.

“The ban has been imposed to keep rice prices stable and to increase rice supply to domestic markets,” The commerce ministry said a statutory regulatory order (SRO), issued on the day. “Export of all kinds of rice is banned for six months from Thursday.”

Such a ban was imposed for six months earlier in two phases each and the deadline of the ban on rice export expired on May 6, 2009, according to reports.

BBN/SS/SI/AD-22May09-3:13 am (BST)