EXPORT
OF NON-BASMATI RICE - AGRICULTURE
News: Centre bans export of non-basmati
white rice to control price rise in India
What's
in the news?
● The
Union government banned the export of non- basmati white rice.
Key
takeaways:
● The
Union Food Ministry, in a statement, said the step was taken to ensure adequate
availability of non-basmati white rice in the domestic market and to curb the
price rise.
Reason
for Centre's ban:
● The domestic prices of rice are on an
increasing trend.
● The
retail prices have increased by 11.5 percent over a year and 3 percent over the
past month
● Rice
stocks in the central pool as on July 1 are estimated to be around 48.65
million tonnes, almost 13 percent less than the same period last year.
● This
sharp increase in exports can be ascribed to high international prices due to
the geopolitical scenario, El Nino sentiments, and extreme climatic conditions
in other rice-producing countries.
Export
of Non-Basmati Rice:
● Non-basmati
white rice accounts for nearly 25-30
percent of total rice exported from the country.
● The
total exports of non-basmati white rice from India were $4.2 million in
2022-23, as against $2.62 million in the preceding year.
● Major
destinations of India’s non-basmati white rice exports include Thailand, Italy, Spain, Sri Lanka, and the
USA.
● Volume-wise,
India exported 6.5 million tonnes of this variety in FY23, compared to 5.3
million tonnes in the previous financial year (a rise of nearly 22 percent).
Why
is India Crucial to the Global Rice Trade?
● It
accounts for more than 40% of the
world’s rice exports.
● Its
rice shipment in 2022 was more than the next 4 exporters combined – Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, and the US.
● It exports rice to more than 140
countries.
● India
exported 17.86mt of non-basmati rice in 2022, including 10.3 million tons of
non-basmati white rice.