India has eased its ban on exports of non-basmati rice and allowed shipments of a premium aromatic, long-grained variety from next month, joining the ranks of top global producers relaxing curbs. The commerce ministry said exports of the Pusa-1121 variety of rice would be allowed from October 15, subject to a minimum price of $1,200 per tonne.
This will help India export 1 million tonnes of the variety in the crop year to September 2009, Vijay Setia, president of the All India Rice Exporters' Association, told Reuters. India, the world's biggest producer of rice after Thailand, banned exports of non-basmati rice earlier this year when dwindling stocks and rising prices triggered fears of shortages of the staple. Supply concerns have eased in India as government agencies are expected to buy record quantities of rice from farmers this year. Last week, officials and traders in Punjab state, one of the country's key grain producers, said cultivation of premium grades of rice had increased by half.
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