No plans to impose restrictions on rice exports, Centre clarifies
Premium- Centre said it has adequate buffer stocks to meet the domestic requirements
Centre on Wednesday asserted that it has no plans as of now to impose any restrictions on exports of rice and further asserted that it has adequate buffer stocks to meet the domestic requirements. The decision comes as there were discussions on imposing curbs on rice exports.
India, the world's second-largest rice producer after China, exported 21.2 million tonnes of rice in the 2021-22 fiscal year. However, this year, there are concerns that production of rice may fall owing to the fact that area under coverage for paddy is down by 6% to 367.55 lakh hectares this kharif sowing season due to less rains.
Traders fear that the current situation might force the Centre to impose some restrictions on exports of rice as is now the case with wheat.
Till August 26 of the current kharif season, less paddy area has been mainly reported from Jharkhand 10.51 lakh hectares (ha), West Bengal (4.62 lakh ha), Chhattisgarh (3.45 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (2.63 lakh ha), Bihar (2.40 lakh ha), and Odisha (2.24 lakh ha).
Rice production rose to record 130.29 million tonnes in the last crop year as against 124.37 million tonnes in 2020-21. On the back of bumper production and high procurement in the last few years, the Centre is sitting on a stock of 47 million tonnes of rice, including rice equivalent of unmilled paddy, as on July 1. The buffer stock requirement is to have 13.5 million tonnes of rice as on July 1.
Already, the Centre is supplying more rice instead of wheat through ration shops as its procurement of wheat fell sharply to 19 million tonnes this marketing year compared to 43 million tonnes in the year-ago period.
(With inputs from agencies)
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