The Indian government has permitted the export of 95,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to Nepal. Earlier there were export curbs imposed on July 20 in view of domestic demand for rice in India and only basmati Rice could be imported by Nepal from India.
India’s Director General of Foreign Trade issued the notification to this effect yesterday. The quota privilege has been granted to export 1.03 million tonnes of non-basmati white rice to seven countries which are Nepal, Cameroon, Côte d’ Ivore, Guinea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Seychelles through National Cooperative Exports Limited of India. The quantity notified for Nepal is 95,000 tonnes.
To discourage the import of non-basmati rice in August, India levied a 20 percent export duty on non-basmati white rice. This export grant is expected to ease pressure on the local grain market. Nepal has been importing rice and paddy from India in huge quantities for the past decade to compensate for the food deficit.