India Rice Export 5 million tonnes in 2012

Rice exports from India 2012, which is considered as the world second-largest producer, is expected to surge by 32% to 5-million tonnes in 2012, said the International Grains Council (IGC). The shipments from neighbouring nation Pakistan too are likely to surge 32% to 3.7-million tonnes as compared to 2.8-million tonnes, said IGC in the recent report.

India’s rice exports are estimated to surge from 3.8-million tonnes in 2011, said IGC, which predicts rice exports for five improtant exporters.

Prediction for India is based on the assumption that Centre will continue non-basmati rice exports that has been permitted in September last year and in anticipation of stronger production.

India has set an aim of record 102-million tonnes of rice production during the 2011-12 crop year (July-June). The basmati rice shipments are permitted at minimum export price (MEP) of $900 per tonne.

As per the IGC report, except India and Pakistan, the rice exports from Thailand, Vietnam and the US are likely to be lower in the present calendar year. Although the shipments from Thailand are expected to decline to 7.2-million tonnes this year from 10.5-million tonnes last year, rice exports from Vietnam are expected to fall to 6.5- million tonnes from 7.1-million tonnes in the concerned period.