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.