India allows non-Basmati white rice exports to Nepal, 5 African nations

India on Thursday allowed export of non-Basmati white rice to five African nations despite a ban on its outbound shipments since July.

In a separate notification, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) also announced a one-time exemption to the Indian Rice Exporters Federation for the export of 20 MT of non-basmati rice to Nepal. The exemption has been granted as a donation to Nepal's National Disaster Risk and Management Authority (NDRMA) to provide relief to earthquake victims in the Himalayan nation.

The government allowed export of 240,000 tonne non-basmati rice to Comoros, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya and Egypt through National Cooperatives Exports Limited (NCEL). Comoros will get 20,000 tonne of non-basmati rice, Madagascar (50,000 tonne), Equatorial Guinea (10,000 tonne), Kenya (1 lakh tonne) and Egypt (60,000 tonne), according to the DGFT notification.


Though exports of non-basmati white rice were banned on July 20 to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs and on request.

“One-time exemption from prohibition is granted to Indian Rice Exporters Federation for exports of 20 MT of non-basmati white rice (semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or glazed)…as a donation to Nepal earthquake victims,” the DGFT said in a notification.

India has allocated export quotas of non-basmati white rice to Bhutan, Mauritius, the UAE, Singapore, Cameroon, Cote D' Ivore, Guinea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Seychelles.