AGARTALA, August 7 (TIWN): The first truckloads of the 5,000 MT foodgrain consignment from Andhra Pradesh that travelled through the Ashuganj port in Bangladesh en route Diamond Harbour in the past one month, today entered the Indian territory through Akhaura International Check Post (ICP) in Tripura, official sources said. Three trucks arrived on the first day with foodgrains.

Md. Nurujjaman, logistics manager of the team, said that Bangladeshi and Indian customs officials extended complete support to the transportation on the first day.Asked about any legal issues that might have been identified with the trucks that came with foodgrains today, Customs Superintendent at the Akhaura ICP – Bhajan Dutta said that all documents were checked and truckers frisked with absolutely no chance of risk. There was no problem. A senior official of the state Food Department said later this afternoon that the transportation was slightly delayed on the first day due to official formalities. Twenty trucks would be coming with 340 bags of rice on each for each consecutive day henceforth for the entire duration when the foodgrain transportation would continue.

Officials of Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB) and Border Security Forces (BSF) exchanged documents of transit while officials from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) oversaw the process. FCI General Manager (NER) Bidol Tayeng has been camping in Tripura since Wednesday to oversee smooth transportation of the foodgrains.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) experimentally tested transportation of foodgrains through Bangladesh upon requests from the state government as the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) approaches to start mega block in the Silchar-Badarpur-Agartala route from October this year.

Tripura usually exports dry fish, paper boards, scrap iron, banana, citrus fruits like lemon, orange and seasonal fruits like jackfruit, mangoes, spices etc. The import bulk from Bangladesh to the Indian territory through Tripura-Bangla frontiers mainly include small fish, Hilsa fish, stone chips, cement, food products, non-alcoholic beverages, cotton, aluminum profiles etc.

The state suffered an export deficit of Rs. 1.14 crore compared to the previous year in 2012-2013 with Bangladesh.

Tripura’s average monthly requirement of foodgrains is currently estimated to be 30,000 MT. With 10,000 MT transported through Bangladesh, the state government is learnt to be attempting at building a three months' buffer food stock by procuring additional foodgrains through rail and roadways before the mega block starts in October this year.

Food Minister Bhanulal Saha recently said that the government would try to regularize transportation of foodgrains through Bangladesh henceforth. It would largely reduce the time consumed for transportation and the transport charges, he had said.