Rice exports from Kakinada Port to foreign countries begin

Kakinada: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman Dr M Angamuthu said that the initial process of exporting rice from Kakinada Deepwater Port to foreign countries was a historic event. He flagged off the export of the rice from Kakinada Deep Water port along with District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy and Joint Collector Dr G Lakshmisha on Friday.

He said that APEDA supervises rice exports and has communicated to the AP government to let exporters use the Kakinada Deep Water Port.

He said that the loading process has begun on a ship carrying rice from the Kakinada Deep Water Port to the Senegal Port of Dakar, West Sub Saharan Africa.

He said that initially 32,250 metric tonnes of broken rice will be exported by MV SFL SPEY ship in the first phase. A shipment of one of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA)'s member exporter M/S Satyam Balajee Rice Industries Pvt Ltd (produce sourced and processed at Chhattisgarh) from the Kakinada deep-water port will be sent to West Africa.

He said that AP Maritime Board has taken the special initiative steps to export the rice through the ships. APEDA is embarking on revolutionary changes to achieve the goal set by the Indian government to double farmers' income. He said that they are moving ahead with a special campaign to increase the brand value of Indian rice internationally.

A team of senior officials led by APEDA Chairman Dr M Angamuthu met with non-Basmati rice exporters at the Royal Park Hotel before launching the rice export operations from Kakinada Deepwater Port. Dr Angamuthu advised rice exporters to give priority to trade in rice quality and basic ethical values.