India's non-basmati rice exports more than double in 8 years

India's non-basmati rice exports surged to $6.11 billion in 2021-22, which is 109 per cent higher when compared with $2.92 billion recorded in 2013-14, the government data showed on Wednesday.

As per data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), India exported rice to over 150 countries across the globe in 2021-22. Out of these, exports to 76 countries were valued at one million USD or more.

"India's rice export takes an astounding growth of 109 per cent. Modi Govt policies help farmers get access to the global market and also ensure food security," Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said in a tweet.

According to the DGCI&S data, India had exported non-basmati rice worth $2.01 billion in 2019-20, which rose to $4.79 billion in 2020-21 and rose further to $6.11 billion in 2021-22.

Registering a growth of 27 per cent in 2021-22, export of non-basmati rice was the top forex earner among all agri-commodities, at $6.11 billion.

"In collaboration with our foreign missions, we have coordinated development of logistics as well as focus on production of quality produce, which has boosted India's rice exports prospects," said M Angamuthu, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

West African country Benin is one of the major importers of non-basmati rice from India. Other destination countries are Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Cote D' Ivoire, Togo, Senegal, Guinea, Vietnam, Djibouti, Madagascar, Cameroon Somalia, Malaysia, Liberia and UAE.

In 2020-21, India shipped non-basmati rice to nine countries - Timor-Leste, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Eswatini, Myanmar and Nicaragua, where exports were carried out for the first time or earlier the shipment was smaller in volume.

India's thrust on expanding port handling infrastructure, development of value chain involving key stakeholders along with efforts to explore new opportunities in countries or markets for rice exports in the last couple of years have led to a huge spike in rice exports, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

Notwithstanding logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, India continues to expand its rice exports footprint in the African, Asian and European Union markets, thus having the largest share in the global rice trade. The robust global demand also helped India's growth in rice exports, it said.

The major rice producing states are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, and Haryana.

( With inputs from ANI )

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