May 31, 2021
Two consignments 4.5 MT of patented ‘village rice’ sourced from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu by a start-up, Udaya Agro Farm has been exported to Ghana & Yemen via air & sea routes and this is a major boost to India’s non-basmati rice exports potential.
Enriched with protein, fibre, and a variety of minerals, ‘village rice’ is sourced directly from farmers of Thanjavur, also known as the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu. APEDA assisted Udaya Agro Farm plans to increase the volume of exports of ‘village rice’ in the coming months.
During 2020-21, the shipment of non-basmati rice witnessed an impressive spike. The non-basmati rice exports were Rs. 35,448 crore (4796 US$ Million) during April-March, 2021 against Rs. 14,400 crore (2020 US$ Million) reported during April-March, 2020 period. The exports of non-Basmati have witnessed a growth of 146 % in Rupee terms and 137 % Dollar terms in 2020-2021.
Earlier this month, a consignment of rice was exported from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal, Odisha to Vietnam. This was for the first time in recent years; non-basmati rice was exported from Paradip Port.
In March 2021, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ from Assam was exported to the USA. Iron-rich red rice’ is grown in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer. The rice variety is referred to as ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of Assamese food.
The sharp spike in rice exports especially during a phase where globally the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply changes many commodities has been attributed to the government taking prompt measures to ensure exports of rice while taking all the COVID19 related safety precautions.
APEDA is working with various stakeholders such as farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers across the globe to harness India’s non-basmati rice export potential.
APEDA has promoted rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains. The government had set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), under the aegis of the APEDA. REPF has representations from the rice industry, exporters, and officials from APEDA, ministry of commerce, and directors of agriculture from major rice-producing states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.