India not planning to restrict parboiled rice exports, food secretary says
Chopra also said there is no proposal as of now to import wheat from Russia
Mumbai: India is not considering imposing any restrictions on the exports of non-basmati parboiled rice, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said on Tuesday.
Last month, India surprised buyers by imposing a ban on the export of widely consumed non-basmati white rice, following a ban on broken rice exports last year.
“There is no proposal as of now to restrict parboiled rice exports,” Chopra said in response to questions about whether India was considering imposing an export tax or introducing a floor price for parboiled rice exports.
Currently, there are no restrictions on the exports of parboiled rice, which constitutes nearly a third of India’s total rice exports.
Chopra also said there is no proposal as of now to import wheat from Russia via diplomatic deals.
Last week government sources told Reuters that India is in talks with Russia to import wheat at a discount to surging global prices in a rare move to boost supplies and curb food inflation ahead of state and national elections next year.
Wheat stocks at government warehouses were at 28.3 million metric tons on August 1, 20 per cent below the 10-year average.