The government of India has lifted the March 17 ban on the import of rice by Bhutan with immediate effect. "This special gesture is being considered only to Bhutan, in view of the cordial relations between the countries,' said agriculture ministry officials. The ban is still on for other countries in the region. The March 17 ban had halted the import of popular rice brands, including BN20, Basmati and boiled rice. Bhutan imported about 50,000 metric tonnes of rice, that cost about Nu 420 million in 2005, up from 40,000 metric tonnes worth Nu 318 million in 2004. Bhutan's own production of rice averaged around 67,000 tonnes in 2005, enough to feed 50 percent of the population. At the same time, Bhutan has been exporting about 100 tonnes of red rice to the United States through private export firms. "We're not competing with other nations in terms of exports, because we have very less to export compared to others,' said the ministry's policy and planning division head, Tenzin Chophel. He said that the Indian government has placed the ban probably to address the internal food shortage at home and check rising prices brought about by soaring fuel prices. Rice 551, Rice Bhog, Rice Boil Fine, Rice Raw, Rice Sonaly, Rice Thai Jasmine, Rice Thai White, Rice Rasoi are some of the brands imported by Bhutan from India and Thailand. By Tandin Wangchuk