India’s rice exports have seen a significant downturn in the first quarter of the current financial year, falling by nearly 34 per cent to 3.2 million tonnes. This decline comes in the wake of several government measures aimed at safeguarding domestic food security and managing inflation. The Indian government has implemented a series of export restrictions, including a ban on non-basmati white rice and broken rice exports, as well as imposing a 20 per cent tariff on parboiled rice. These measures have had a pronounced impact on export volumes. Non-basmati white rice exports plummeted by 78 per cent to approximately 300,000 tonnes, while broken rice exports decreased by 8 per cent to 300,000 tonnes. Parboiled rice shipments also fell by 11 per cent to 1.5 million tonnes. The restrictions were introduced in response to concerns over domestic food security, particularly in light of potential El Niño-related disruptions to rainfall patterns and their impact on crop yields.
