At the crack of dawn every day, hushed frantic activity begins in villages located along the India-Nepal border here as some residents set out on foot or in small vehicles to smuggle rice into the neighbouring country. Young unemployed men, women and sometimes even the elderly act as carriers for local smugglers and are paid up to Rs 300 for delivering a quintal of rice to warehouses set up across the border by Nepali traders. Most of them make multiple trips to earn as much money as possible. Lakshminagar, Thoothibari, Nichlaul, Parsa Malik, Bargadwa, Bhagwanpur, Shyam Kat, Farenia, Hardi Dali and Khanuva are some of the villages from where it is very easy to cross into Nepal and rice is smuggled, police sources said. Maharajganj shares an 84-km open border with Nawalparasi and Rupandehi districts of Nepal's Lumbini province. Ram Prasad, a rice carrier, said, "The Nepali merchants have set up small warehouses along the border where we deliver the smuggled rice. The warehouses are
Representatives from Japan, Australia, Brazil, the EU, the UK, and the US raised concerns over the impact of the ban on the global food market
India has said that the export ban on rice is a regulation rather than a restriction and is crucial for securing the food security of 1.4 billion people, according to an official. This was stated by India in response to concerns raised by a group of countries including the US during a meeting of the WTO's Committee on Agriculture in Geneva on September 27. The Geneva-based official said that in the meeting, India reiterated its commitment to ensure food security in importing countries by granting exemptions to those in need upon their governments' requests. The Indian government has already allowed exports of non-basmati rice to Bhutan (79,000 tonnes), UAE (75,000 tonnes), Mauritius (14,000 tonnes) and Singapore (50,000 tonnes) through the National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL). On July 20 this year, India banned exports of non-basmati white rice to boost domestic supply and keep retail prices under check during the upcoming festive season. "The Government of India has the commit
The government on Monday cleared exports of 75,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to the UAE through National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL). Though there is a ban on rice exports, India is shipping rice to friendly and neighbouring countries on their request to meet their food security demands. "Export of 75,000 MT of Non-Basmati White Rice (under HS code 1006 30 90) to UAE is permitted through NCEL, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. Earlier, the government permitted the export of broken rice to Senegal (5 lakh tonnes), Gambia (5 lakh tonnes), Indonesia (2 lakh tonnes), Mali (1 lakh tonnes), and Bhutan (48,804 tonnes). The government has also allowed exports of non-basmati rice to Bhutan (79,000 tonnes), Mauritius (14,000 tonnes) and Singapore (50,000 tonnes) through the NCEL. On September 9 last year, the government banned the export of broken rice to check rising retail prices and boost domestic supply. On July 20, it banned exports of .
State-run Malaysian rice importer Bernas will also be negotiating with other suppliers like Vietnam, Thailand And Cambodia, he said
India recently decided to allow the export of rice to Singapore to "meet the food security requirements" of the southeast nation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said
The exporters are overbilling so that they do not lose their export market share to Pakistan, which is another major competitor in rice exports
Last month, India surprised buyers by imposing a ban on exports of widely consumed non-basmati white rice, following a ban on broken rice exports last year
The government has clarified exporters who have paid the export duty before the issue of notification on the ban on rice exports on July 20 will be allowed to ship that consignment. On July 20, the government banned exports of non-basmati white rice to boost domestic supply. While notifying this ban decision, the DGFT had specified about certain consignments which can be exported. In "relaxation" of DGFT's notification dated July 20, "export of non-basmati white rice is allowed when export duty is paid before 21:57:01 hours on July 20, 2023," the directorate has said in a notification dated August 29. It added that if the consignment has been handed over to the customs before 21:57:01 hours on July 20 and is registered in customs system for exportation before this specified time or is registered in the electronic systems of the concerned custodian of the customs station with verifiable evidence of date and time, those consignments are allowed up to October 30.
India on August 27 introduced additional safeguards on exports of basmati rice so as to prevent exports of non-basmati white rice, which is presently under the prohibited category
The curbs on rice now cover all varieties that the South Asian nation ships to overseas markets, further tightening global supply
The government has decided not to allow exports of basmati rice below USD 1,200 per tonne to restrict possible "illegal" shipment of white non-basmati rice in the garb of premium basmati rice. In a statement on Sunday, the commerce ministry said it has directed trade promotion body APEDA not to register contracts below USD 1,200 per tonne. Existing contracts below USD 1,200 per tonne have been kept in abeyance. A committee under the chairman of APEDA will be set up to evaluate future course of action. Seeking to control retail prices of rice, the central government has been taking several steps to boost domestic supply. In September last year, it banned exports of broken rice, while last month it imposed restrictions on non-basmati white rice. Last week, a 20 per cent export duty was slapped on par-boiled non-basmati rice. With these curbs, India has now imposed restrictions on all varieties of non-basmati rice. According to the statement of the commerce ministry, the government
Last month, India surprised buyers by imposing a ban on exports of widely consumed non-basmati white rice, following a ban on broken rice exports last year
Currently, there are no restrictions on the exports of parboiled rice, which constitutes nearly a third of India's total rice exports
The government is considering imposing a tax on shipments of parboiled rice, according to people familiar with matter. No decision has been made yet
Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan, world's second, third and fourth biggest exporters, respectively, have said they are keen to boost sales since demand for their crops has been rising after India's ban
In September last year, India imposed a ban on broken rice exports and put a 20 per cent export tariff on non-basmati and non-parboiled rice, aimed at improving domestic supplies
The rice export ban is a clear signal the government is concerned about food security and inflation, said Henrique Akamine, head of sugar and ethanol at Tropical Research Services
The government would ensure sufficient rice output for both domestic consumption and exports, and also make sure domestic prices are not too high, minister Jurin Laksanawisit told a press briefing
The United Nations food agency's rice price index rose 2.8% in July from a month ago to their highest level in nearly 12 years as prices in key exporting countries jumped on strong demand