No plans to ban or curb exports of basmati, non-basmati rice: Govt official

The government has no plans to ban or impose curbs on export of either basmati or non-basmati rice as the country has sufficient supplies and prices are under control, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

The comments come amid reports of regulating overseas sale of rice after the government banned wheat exports and capped shipment of sugar at 10 million tonnes in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year (October-September) as a precautionary step to check local prices.

"There is no move to regulate export of any kind of rice. There is enough supply in our godowns and even with private traders. Domestic prices are also under control as of now,” the official told PTI.

India, the world’s second largest rice producer after China, had exported non-basmati rice worth USD 6.11 billion in 2021-22, up from USD 4.8 billion in 2020-21, according to official data.

The country exported non-basmati rice to over 150 countries in 2021-22.