India has reportedly exempted some countries such as Mauritius, Bhutan and Singapore from its recently announced ban on export of this staple grain.
The exemption is on the grounds of food security purposes.
India is the world’s top exporter of rice
India, which is the world’s top exporter of rice, agreed to sell 79,000 tons of non-basmati white rice to Bhutan, 50,000 tons to Singapore and 14,000 tons to Mauritius, Bloomberg reported, citing a notification issued by the country’s commerce ministry late Wednesday.
The South Asia country said last month it would allow for exports of the variety if asked to meet the security needs of other countries.
The permission highlights the plight of several nations, which have been relying on India for their rice needs.
Guinea has sent its trade minister to New Delhi to convince Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to exempt the West African country from the restrictions.
Top buyers of Indian rice include Benin, China, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo.
Concerns about a global supply squeeze and higher world food prices have increased after the world’s second-biggest producer and consumer tightened its curbs on rice exports.
India has restrictions on shipments of all varieties of the grain. It has imposed a 20 percent tax on parboiled rice exports, set a minimum export price on aromatic basmati and banned shipments of non-basmati white. The country accounts for almost 40 percent of the global rice trade.
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