India's 2025 rice exports surge to near record as curbs lifted

India’s rice exports jumped 19.48 last year to the second-highest on record after New Delhi lifted all export curbs, making shipments more competitive, government and industry officials told Reuters on Saturday.

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An improved flow of rice from the world’s largest exporter of the grain curbed shipments from rivals Thailand and Vietnam and drove prices in Asia to their lowest in nearly a decade, easing costs for poor consumers in Africa and other regions.

Indian shipments rebounded quickly after the government lifted export restrictions in March, said a government official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

As supplies improved with record production, India removed the last of the export curbs imposed in 2022 and 2023.

Exports rose to 21.55 million metric tonnes from 18.05 million in 2024, near the 2022 record of 22.3 million tonnes, the official said.

Non-basmati rice shipments jumped 258 to 15.15 million tonnes, while basmati exports increased 88 to a record 6.4 million tonnes, he said. Non-basmati rice shipments rose sharply to Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Djibouti, while Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Britain increased purchases of premium basmati rice during the year, said another government official. India usually exports more rice than the combined shipments of the world’s next three largest exporters: Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.