India exported a record 19.8 million tonnes of rice and wheat in the financial year 2021 on the back of attractive overseas prices of the commodities and extensive surplus production at home.
Rice and wheat witnessed exports of 19.81 million tonnes, valued at Rs 69,331.45 crore in the financial year 2020-21. Rice exports are at an all-time high that includes, 13.09 million tonnes non-basmati of Rs 35,448.24 crore and 4.63 million tonnes basmati of Rs 29,849.40 crore. The 2.09 million tonnes of Rs 4,033.81 crore for wheat is also the highest since 2014-15.
This increase in exports is on account of many factors, mainly being India capturing new markets, namely, Timor-Leste, Puerto Rico, Papua New Guinea, Brazil and Chile. Exports were also made to Malaysia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Iraq, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Togo, Tanzania Rep and Madagascar.
It is also notable that in the financial year 2020-21 a record 92 million tonnes of rice and wheat was allocated from the central pool. That included 60.32 million tonnes under the National Food Security Act ( NFSA) and other regular welfare schemes, besides 31.52 million tonnes under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), Atmanirbhar Bharat Package (for returning migrant labourers) and other programmes launched in the wake of the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
Earlier, India’s overall export of essential agricultural commodities for the April’20-Feb’21 period had increased by 18.49% to ₹2.74 lakh crore as compared with ₹2.31 lakh crore in the same period last year. The commodities that had posted significant positive growth in exports were wheat, soya meal, spices, sugar, raw cotton, non-basmati rice, fresh and processed vegetables and alcoholic beverages.
India also increased the export of Soya meals by 132%. Soya meal had gone up from Rs 3087 crores in 2019-20 to Rs 7224 crores in 2020-21.
Other commodities of Agri & Allied basket witnessed a significant increase in export during April’20-Feb’21 as compared to corresponding period during 2019-20, Spices 11.44%, Sugar 39.64%, Raw Cotton 67.96%, Fresh Vegetable 17.54% and Processed Vegetables 42.69%.
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