India is the world’s biggest rice exporter, and our government stopped selling non-basmati white rice to other countries on Thursday. This is a big change because half of the 22.2 million tons of rice we sent out last year was non-basmati white rice.
The government made this decision because the price of rice in India has gone up a lot in the past year (by 11.5%), with a 3% increase in just the last month. This is to make sure our people can still afford to buy rice.
India made a decision to halt exports not long after Russia called off a crucial deal. This deal previously allowed Ukraine to securely transport its food grains via the Black Sea, even amidst the ongoing war with Russia.
This export ban will affect other countries too, especially our neighbors like Bangladesh and Nepal, and countries in Africa like Benin, Angola, Cameroon, Djibouti, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Kenya. They buy a lot of our non-basmati rice.
Due to rising prices and unpredictable rain, the Indian government might decide to stop more categories of rice from being sold to other countries.
Making these kinds of decisions is always a big deal. The government has to think about what’s best for people in India, but also how we can help feed the world.
