No plan to restrict par-boiled rice exports: Union Food Secretary

New Delhi: There is no proposal, as of now, to restrict exports of par-boiled non-basmati rice, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said on Tuesday.

On July 20, the central government banned exports of non-basmati white rice to boost domestic supply and keep retail prices under check during the upcoming festive season. In September last year, exports of broken rice were prohibited.

“There is no proposal as of now to restrict par-boiled rice exports,” Chopra told reporters here when asked whether the government was considering banning exports or imposing an export duty on par-boiled rice to curb outward shipments and control prices. As per the commerce ministry data, India’s total exports of basmati rice stood at $4.8 billion in 2022-23, while in volume terms it was at 45.6 lakh tonnes.

Similarly, exports of non-basmati stood at $6.36 billion in the last fiscal. In volume terms, it was 177.9 lakh tonnes. “Non-Basmati white rice constitutes about 25 per cent of total rice exported from the country.