India's 2025 rice exports surge to near record as curbs lifted

India’s rice exports jumped 19.4% last year to the second-highest on record after New Delhi lifted all export curbs, making shipments more competitive, government and industry officials told Reuters on Saturday.

An improved flow of rice from the world’s largest exporter of the grain curbed shipments from rivals Thailand and Vietnam and drove prices in Asia to their lowest in nearly a decade, easing costs for poor consumers in Africa and other regions.

“Indian shipments rebounded quickly after the government lifted export restrictions” in March, said a government official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

As supplies improved with record production, India removed the last of the export curbs imposed in 2022 and 2023.

Exports rose to 21.55 million metric tons from 18.05 million in 2024, near the 2022 record of 22.3 million tons, the official said.

Non-basmati rice shipments jumped 25% to 15.15 million tons, while basmati exports increased 8% to a record 6.4 million tons, he said.

Non-basmati rice shipments rose sharply to Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Djibouti, while Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Britain increased purchases of premium basmati rice during the year, said another government official.

India usually exports more rice than the combined shipments of the world’s next three largest exporters: Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.

“Indian rice is very competitive compared with supplies from other exporting countries, with lower prices helping India regain lost market share,” Nitin Gupta, senior vice president at Olam Agri India, said on the sidelines of the India International Rice Summit.

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