India Exports Non-basmati Rice to China for the First Time

China has finally lifted restrictions on import of non-basmati rice from India and is ready to receive the first consignment being shipped from the country.

“The first consignment of non-basmati rice (white rice 5 per cent broken) of 100 tonnes is to be shipped to China from Nagpur on 28 September 2018. The consignment will be received by China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO)," an official release from the Commerce Ministry stated on Thursday.

COFCO is one of China's state-owned food processing holding companies.

Following concerted efforts of India which has been urging China to lift the curbs for a long time, the Chinese quality agency recently inspected and registered 19 rice mills and processing units for export.

The protocol between General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare of the Republic of India on phyto-sanitary requirements for exporting rice from India to China was signed this June at Qingdao, China, during the visit of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This amended the earlier protocol on phyto-sanitary requirements for exporting rice from India to China to include the export of non-basmati varieties of rice from India.

China allowed imports of Basmati rice from India some years back, but there is not much demand for it in the country.