AWARENESS AND CLARITY OF THE POLICY: LOW in

​The high level of uncertainty and confusion across the agricultural and trade sectors stems directly from several key operational factors:

• ​Information Asymmetry Across Value Chains: Smallholder farmers, rural processors, and local distributors lack direct access to official government guidelines, relying largely on speculative secondary reports rather than verified policy frameworks.
• ​Overly Complex Bureaucratic Guidelines: Implementation directives issued by regulatory agencies—such as stringent qualifying quotas, commodity exchange requirements, and multi-agency approval processes—have blurred the practical application of the tariff exemption.
• ​Inconsistent Media Reporting: Conflicting media updates regarding the exact timeline, covered HS-codes (e.g., husked brown rice versus fully milled rice), and eligibility criteria have created severe market hesitation.
• ​Communication Gaps Between Regulators and Operators: Port clearing agents, commercial millers, and trade associations frequently report a lack of direct engagement or synchronized updates from policy authors, leading to paralysis at key entry ports.

​This pervasive lack of clarity underscores why comprehensive, field-level assessments like the CARF-FSD survey are urgently required to establish ground truth.AWARENESS AND CLARITY OF THE POLICY: LOW

​The high level of uncertainty and confusion across the agricultural and trade sectors stems directly from several key operational factors:

• ​Information Asymmetry Across Value Chains: Smallholder farmers, rural processors, and local distributors lack direct access to official government guidelines, relying largely on speculative secondary reports rather than verified policy frameworks.
• ​Overly Complex Bureaucratic Guidelines: Implementation directives issued by regulatory agencies—such as stringent qualifying quotas, commodity exchange requirements, and multi-agency approval processes—have blurred the practical application of the tariff exemption.
• ​Inconsistent Media Reporting: Conflicting media updates regarding the exact timeline, covered HS-codes (e.g., husked brown rice versus fully milled rice), and eligibility criteria have created severe market hesitation.
• ​Communication Gaps Between Regulators and Operators: Port clearing agents, commercial millers, and trade associations frequently report a lack of direct engagement or synchronized updates from policy authors, leading to paralysis at key entry ports.

​This pervasive lack of clarity underscores why comprehensive, field-level assessments like the CARF-FSD survey are urgently required to establish ground truth.