As transplanting of basmati will begin from the first week of July in north India, a look at the data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) reveals that Indian exports of the long-grained aromatic rice fell in value in the 2020-21 fiscal year (April-March) by Rs 1,176 crore even as the quantity went up by about 1.77 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) from 2019-20.
India exported 46.31 LMT basmati rice in 2020-21, valued at Rs 29,849.39 crore. Indian exports of the aromatic variety of rice in 2019-20 were 44.54 LMT, which were valued at Rs 31,025.91 crore. The export quantity surged in 2020-21 by 3.82% from the 2019-20 fiscal year while the value of basmati rice sent abroad went down by nearly 3.94% in terms of rupees.
Iran, which was the biggest buyer of the basmati rice from India in 2019-20, imported about 5.71 LMT tonnes less in 2020-21, and the value of trade dropped by Rs 4,460 crore or -101.72% from the previous year. Iran imported about 7.48 LMT basmati rice from India in 2020-21, down from about 13.2 LMT in 2019-20.
Saudi Arabia emerged as the biggest buyer of the basmati rice from India in 2020-21, importing 10.35 LMT valued at a little over Rs 7,059 crore, up by 3.84% from the previous fiscal year, which was Rs 6,788.07 crore. Top 10 biggest importers of Indian basmati rice in 2020-21 include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United States of America, Kuwait, United Kingdom, Qatar and Oman. As per the APEDA data, India had exported basmati rice to 157 countries in 2020-21.
Further, two South American countries — Peru and Argentina — have also granted market access to the Indian basmati rice.
INDIA’S EXPORT OF BASMATI RICE
| Fiscal year (April-March) | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | Difference | Change in growth (in %) | ||||
| Top 10 countries | Quantity (metric tonnes) | Value (Rs Crore) | Quantity (metric tonnes) | Value (Rs Crore) | Quantity (metric tonnes) | Value (Rs Crore) | Quantity | Value |
| Saudi Arabia | 974122 | 6788.07 | 1035025 | 7059.03 | 60903 | 270.96 | 5.88 | 3.84 |
| Iran | 1319156 | 8846.36 | 747459 | 4385.5 | -571697 | -4460.86 | -76.49 | -101.72 |
| Iraq | 465889 | 3078.06 | 645896 | 3708.72 | 180007 | 630.66 | 27.87 | 17 |
| Yemen Republic | 203330 | 1388.51 | 336090 | 2067.82 | 132760 | 679.31 | 39.5 | 32.85 |
| United Arab Emirates | 208518 | 1487 | 229474 | 1520.75 | 20956 | 33.75 | 9.13 | 2.22 |
| United States of America | 148422 | 1284.97 | 180862 | 1448.73 | 32440 | 163.76 | 17.94 | 11.3 |
| Kuwait | 197103 | 1426.37 | 176051 | 1249.57 | -21052 | -176.8 | -11.96 | -14.15 |
| United Kingdom | 115712 | 736.35 | 170705 | 1037.54 | 54993 | 301.19 | 32.22 | 29.03 |
| Qatar | 62128 | 458.84 | 110852 | 717.76 | 48724 | 258.92 | 43.95 | 36.07 |
| Oman | 74351 | 538.74 | 99766 | 658.79 | 25415 | 120.05 | 25.47 | 18.22 |
| Overall | 4454713 | 31025.91 | 4631530 | 29849.39 | 176817 | -1176.52 | 3.82 | -3.94 |
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