Bangladesh may impose a 28% import tax on rice to support local farmers as production from the summer-sown crop is set to surpass the target. The duty hike would reduce imports, especially from neighbouring India, which emerged as a biggest supplier to the south Asian country last year after floods ravaged its crop. Bangladesh cut an import duty of 28% in two phases in 2017 to 2 percent after domestic prices of the staple grain climbed to a record high. At present, the tax on rice imports is only 2%. This needs to be raised to protect farmers’ interests as prices have started to fall in the domestic markets.