India Non-basmati rice exports rise by 36% in 2017-18 fiscal

Export of rice, specifically the non-basmati varieties, rose by 36% in the 2017-18 fiscal in comparison to the last financial year. The basmati and non-basmati rice exports figures in 2016-17 fiscal stood at 39.85 lakh metric tonne and 67.70 lakh metric tonne respectively. In 2017-2018, while the export volume was marginally more for basmati rice (40.56 lakh metric tonne), it saw a significant jump in the case of non-basmati rice (86.48 lakh metric tonne). India has been leading its rivals Thailand and Vietnam in rice exports for the past three years. This record export fetched India foreign currency worth Rs 50,000 crore. The share of basmati rice is Rs 26,000 crore, while Rs 24,000 crore has come from non basmati exports.