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The Indian government said that it would allow 600,000 tonnes of unmilled rice to be exported to Nepal. Issuing a notice late on Monday, India said that it would allow the companies to export unmilled rice to the Himalayan Kingdom, which traditionally relies on India to fulfill its food grains requirements. The world's biggest exporter of rice on Sept. 8 banned exports of broken rice and imposed a 20% duty on exports of various grades as it sought to boost domestic supply and calm local prices after below-average monsoon rainfall curtailed planting, according to Reuters. India, now, said it will allow cargoes of white and brown rice backed by letters of credit issued before Sept. 9 to be shipped overseas, a measure that provides some relief to exporters grappling with fresh government curbs. The surprise move trapped nearly 1 million tonnes of rice at ports which had been in transit before the government made the announcement. "It's a big relief, which we have been asking for the last few weeks," said B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association, according to Reuters. Export prices for Indian white rice have risen 12% since Sept. 9.

Farmers in Taplejung now are busy in harvesting cardamom. With the festive season coming to an end, they are hell bent on picking, peeling and basking cardamom. The season beginning from mid-September to mid-December is a prime time for harvesting cardamom. Gyan Bahadur Gurung, a cardamom farmer of Pathivara Yangwarak Rural Municipality-1, Thechambu, said the farmers have stepped up their preparation to pick and harvest cardamom due to possible menace of wildlife. He further said they did not conveniently celebrate the grand festivals such as Dashain and Tihar due to cardamom season. Farmers had to spend their time in cardamom farm even during festivals as it was the main season for harvesting, said Basanta Limbu, a farmer of Faktanglung rural municipality-6. Madibung. Likewise, Khongdu Sherpa, a farmer of Fungling municipality-6, Bihibare said they were entirely busy in picking, peeling and basking cardamom during Tihar festival. As there is rising fear of wildlife rampage, the farmers had devoted their effort to timely harvest cardamom yields, he added. It is the high time for entire cardamom farmers across the district to harvest their yields. There is massive cardamom farming in 60 wards of all nine local level units in the district. Cardamom has been cultivated in around 4,450 hectares of land in the district.

A man serving term at the Morang District Prison in Biratnagar Metropolitan City-8 died on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Man Bahadur Khapangi (54) of Athrai Rural Municipality-4, Tehrathum, Acting Jailer Tulsiram Bhagat said. He was serving term for rape. Khapangi was sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 23, 2018. Police said that he was admitted to the Koshi Hospital in Morang on October 29 after he suddenly fell sick. Jailer Bhagat said that he breathed his last during the course of treatment at around 6 pm yesterday.

A person was electrocuted in Budhiganga Rural Municipality-2 of Morang district on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Ram Mandal (30) of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-6. DSP Deepak Shresth said that the tragedy occurred while he was cutting bamboo to construct a house in Budhiganga-2. He said that Mandal was critically injured after the bamboo touched the 11, 000-volt high tension wire. Following the incident, he was rushed to the Birat Teaching Hospital in Budhiganga but breathed his last during the course of treatment at around 5 pm yesterday. The body has been kept at the Koshi Hospital for postmortem. Police said that they are looking into the case.