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The Central Government has no plans to ban or impose curbs on export of either basmati or non-basmati rice as India has sufficient supplies and prices are under control.
This comes amid reports of regulating overseas sale of rice after India banned wheat exports and capped shipment of sugar at 10 million tonnes in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year (October-September) as a precautionary step to check local prices.
"There is no move to regulate export of any kind of rice. There is enough supply in our godowns and even with private traders. Domestic prices are also under control as of now," a senior government official told PTI on Tuesday.
Earlier today, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has directed regional authorities to physically verify all documents of applicants for the export of wheat before issuing registration certificates (RCs).
In order to plug the loophole, it has been decided that the regional authorities will do a physical verification of all Letters of Credit, whether already approved or under process. Wherever necessary, the help of a professional agency may be taken for such verification, the ministry said in a statement.
India has also received requests for the supply of over 1.5 million tonnes of wheat from several countries that need the staple to overcome shortages triggered by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
"More than half a dozen countries have approached India for more than 1.5 million tonnes of wheat and we will see how to go about these requests," said a government official.
"India is keen to help vulnerable countries and anyone who needs wheat," said the official involved in decision making.
India, the world's second largest rice producer after China, had exported non-basmati rice worth $6.11 billion in 2021-22, up from $4.8 billion in 2020-21, official data reports.
India exported non-basmati rice to more than 150 nations in 2021-22.
