LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Jan 12: Custom officials at the Torkham border refused to clear trucks loaded with rice to cross into Afghanistan for lack of a `quality certificate’.

The check resulted in the suspension of rice export to Afghanistan and about 30 trucks were forced to stay at the border.

Custom officials said they had received directives from the Export Promotion Bureau not to clear rice-loaded trucks unless they produced a quality certificate.

Talking to Dawn at the border, rice exporters claimed that the condition relating to the quality certificate was not included in the Export Policy for the year 2007-08.

A clearing agent, Niazuddin, said that trucks were stranded at the Torkham for the last four days.