Bhubaneswar: With Vietnam showing more interest for non-Basmati Rice, Odisha will be exporting more rice to Vietnam through Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT) during the next three months.
Earlier this month, a consignment of rice with 20 containers was exported to Vietnam from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal.
This was for the first time in recent years; non-basmati rice was exported from Paradip Port.
About 500 more containers would be dispatched in next three months to Vietnam, said sources.
And Paradip will soon emerge as one of the major rice-exporting port of the country, APEDA sources said.
APEDA is working with various stakeholders such as farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers across the globe to harness India’s non-basmati rice exports potential.
APEDA has promoted rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains.
During the 2020-21, the shipment of non-basmati rice witnessed an impressive spike.
The non-basmati rice exports were Rs 35,448 crore (4796 US$ Million) during April-March, 2021 against Rs 14,400 crore (2020 US$ Million) reported during April-March, 2020 period. The exports of non-Basmati have witnessed a growth of 146 Percent in Rupee terms and 137 Percent Dollar terms in 2020-2021.
In March, 2021, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ from Assam was exported to the USA. Iron rich ‘red rice’ is grown in Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer. The rice variety is referred as ‘Bao-Dhaan’, which is an integral part of the Assamese food.
Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian countries are undertaken from various ports of India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam.
Recently, two consignments 4.5 MT of patented ‘village rice’ sourced from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu by a start-up Udaya Agro Farm was exported today to Ghana and Yemen via air and sea routes.
Enriched with protein, fibre, and a variety of minerals, ‘village rice’ is sourced directly from farmers of Thanjavur, also known as rice bowl of Tamil Nadu.
APEDA assisted Udaya Agro Farm plans to increase volume of exports of ‘village rice’ in the coming months. The sharp spike in rice exports especially during a phase where globally the COVID19 pandemic has disrupted supply changes many commodities, has been attributed to the government taking prompt measures to ensure exports of rice while taking all the COVID19 related safety precautions.
The Union Government had set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), under the aegis of the APEDA. REPF has representations from rice industry, exporters, and officials from APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Directors of Agriculture from major rice producing states, including Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Chhattisgarh.