Photo Credit: Reuters
India’s rice exports climbed 19.4% last year to their second-highest level on record after New Delhi lifted all export restrictions, improving the country’s price competitiveness, government and industry officials said on Saturday.
The increased availability of rice from the world’s largest exporter reduced shipments from competitors such as Thailand and Vietnam and pushed Asian rice prices to their lowest levels in nearly a decade, easing food costs for consumers in Africa and other importing regions.
“Indian shipments rebounded quickly once the government removed export restrictions in March,” a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
India eliminated the remaining export curbs imposed during 2022 and 2023 as supplies improved following record production.
Total rice exports rose to 21.55 million tonnes from 18.05 million tonnes in 2024, nearing the 2022 peak of 22.3 million tonnes, the official said.
Non-basmati rice exports surged 25% to 15.15 million tonnes, while basmati shipments increased 8% to a record 6.4 million tonnes.
Shipments of non-basmati rice rose sharply to countries including Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Djibouti. Demand for premium basmati rice also increased from Iran, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, another government official said.
India typically exports more rice than the combined shipments of the world’s next three largest exporters—Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.
“Indian rice is highly competitive compared with supplies from other exporting countries, with lower prices helping India regain lost market share,” said Nitin Gupta, senior vice-president at Olam Agri India, speaking on the sidelines of the India International Rice Summit.
Thailand’s rice exports are expected to decline to 7 million tonnes this year from an estimated 8 million tonnes in 2025, as the strong baht has made Thai supplies less competitive against abundant Indian exports, the Thai Ministry of Commerce said last month.
During the first 11 months of 2025, Thailand’s rice shipments fell 21% year-on-year to 7.3 million tonnes, while export values dropped 30.3%. The country exported nearly 10 million tonnes in 2024.