In a major boost to non-basmati rice exports from India, two consignments of 4.5 MT, patented ‘village rice’, were sourced from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu by a start-up called Udaya Agro Farm on 29 May 2021 to Ghana & Yemen via air & sea routes.
This gives an exemplary indication of the rising potential of India’s non-basmati rice exports.
“The exports of non-Basmati rice have witnessed an impeccable growth of 146 % in Rupee terms and 137 % Dollar terms in 2020-2021,” says the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
The freight of non-basmati rice has witnessed an impressive development wherein the exports have increased to Rs 35,448 crore (4796 US$ Million) during April-March, 2021 from Rs 14,400 crore (2020 US$ Million) reported during April-March, 2020.
What are the benefits of Non-basmati rice or Village Rice?
‘Village rice’ is enriched with protein, fibre, and a variety of minerals that are directly sourced from farmers of Thanjavur. With its high fibre content, the village rice is beneficial for digestion including a plethora of health benefits for the human body.
Thanjavur, where the village rice is cultivated, is also known as the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu because of its agricultural activities in the delta region of river Cauvery.
Increased international shipment of non-basmati rice
For the first time in recent years, non-basmati rice was exported from Paradip Port wherein a consignment of rice was exported from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal, Odisha to Vietnam earlier this month.
In March 2021, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ from Assam was exported to the USA. Red Rice with a richness of Iron, is grown in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer. This variety of rice is popularly referred to as ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of the Assamese food.
Non-basmati rice is exported to African and Asian countries from various ports of India, mainly, Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam.
The Ministry of Commerce states that “Paradip port in Odisha will soon emerge as one of the major rice-exporting port of the country.”
The impressive growth in rice exports especially during the times of the COVID19 pandemic is noteworthy since globally almost all major supply chains of many commodities have been disrupted.
Therefore the government is taking prompt measures to ensure exports of rice keeps soaring high while also taking all the COVID19 related safety precautions.
APEDA to aid the growth of rice exports
“The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is assisting Udaya Agro Farm plans to increase the volume of exports of ‘village rice’ in the coming months,” informs the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
The organisation is currently working with various stakeholders such as farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers internationally, in order to boost India’s non-basmati rice exports potential.
In Fact, APEDA has been promoting rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains.
The government too has set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), under the aegis of the APEDA to channel the process of rice exports smoothly.
REPF consists of representations from the rice industry, exporters, officials from APEDA, including the ministry of commerce and directors of agriculture from major rice-producing states such as West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
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