Iran may soon issue notification to resume Basmati rice import

NEW DELHI: Iran may soon issue notification to resume Basmati rice imports from India after a 20 member trade delegation visited the country last month.

“Government of Iran may soon issue the notification about resumption of issuance of permits for import of rice,” commerce and industry ministry said in a release.

The delegation met various departments in the Iranian government including Food and Drug Organisation, Governmental Trading Corporation and Trade Promotion Organisation. Meetings were also held with Iran Chamber of Commerce and Rice Importers Association.

“The deliberations helped to dispel the negative publicity which appeared in some part of Iran media causing doubts about the health and safety of rice from India,” the ministry said.

To supplement domestic production of about 2 million MT, Iran imports about 1 million MT of rice every year out of which about 7 lakh MT is exported from India.

Iran has been one of the largest importers of Indian basmati rice in recent years. In 2015-16, however, basmati rice exports from India to Iran almost halved to $571 million from $1.1 billion in the previous financial year. In the first half of this fiscal, basmati rice exports from India to Iran amounted to $356 million.