After New Delhi eliminated all export restrictions, making shipments more competitive, India’s rice exports increased by 19.4% last year to the second-highest on record, government and industry officials told Reuters on Saturday.
A better supply of rice from the world’s biggest exporter reduced shipments from competitors Thailand and Vietnam, bringing prices in Asia down to their lowest point in over ten years and lowering costs for low-income consumers in Africa and other countries.
According to a government official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, Indian exports rapidly increased when the government abolished export limits in March. India lifted the final export restrictions put in place in 2022 and 2023 as supplies increased amid record production. According to the official, exports increased to 21.55 million metric tonnes from 18.05 million in 2024, getting close to the record of 22.3 million tonnes set in 2022.
He stated that while basmati exports rose 8% to a record 6.4 million tonnes, non-basmati rice shipments surged 25% to 15.15 million tonnes. Another government official stated that during the year, shipments of non-basmati rice surged significantly to Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Djibouti, while purchases of premium basmati rice increased in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Britain. India typically exports more rice than Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan, the next three biggest exporters in the world put together.
Also Read:
Rakesh Chitkara: Reframing The Agricultural And Food Security Ecosystem Of The UAE
About Author
