By Madelene Pearson

June 8 (Bloomberg) -- India has started issuing licences for exporting cotton to Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Business Standard reported, citing trade officials it didn’t identify.

Licences to ship 100,000 bales have been issued to about a dozen exporters, the newspaper said. Cotton exports will be subject to a duty at a flat rate of 2,500 rupees a ton for all varieties, it said.

In May the government put cotton, cotton waste and carded or combed cotton under the restricted export items list, with every shipment requiring a licence, it said.