Cairo, July 5 - Egypt's trade ministry plans to double export duties on rice to 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($358) per tonne, the daily al Mal reported on Sunday, citing a member of the country's agricultural export council.
Samir al-Nagari told the financial daily Egypt's trade ministry had informed companies that sell rice to the state's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) of the increase.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry could not immediately comment on the report.
The government imposed a rice export ban in March last year after local prices rose sharply in response to price rises on international markets. It is expected to remain in place until at least October.
The ministry also raised the export duties on rice to 1,000 Egyptian pounds a tonne from 300 pounds in February.
The ministry said in February it would allow some exporters to sell rice overseas but only if they delivered an equivalent amount of domestic rice under tender to the state for distribution as part of its food subsidy scheme.
The move led to the creation of a market to buy export licences from traders who supply GASC with rice but do not export themselves, and rice prices fell.
Some Egyptian traders have offered rice to the state buyer for as little as 1 Egyptian pound per tonne, a tiny fraction of the export price, in a bid to secure export licences.
Nagari told al Mal the export duty hike was meant to curb activities that had led to recent sharp drops on the price of rice supplied to GASC.
He added that the move would harm Egyptian exports and reduce their competitiveness in foreign markets. ($1=5.5861 Egyptian pounds)