Q. Among the following, which one is the largest exporter of rice in the world in the last five years?
- China
- India
- Myanmar
- Vietnam
Answer: (b) India
Notes:
- India’s share in world exports of rice in recent years (2014-18) has stayed at 25-26% and it emerged the world’s largest rice exporter in 2011-12, displacing Thailand from its leadership position.
- There were two factors which played a role in this.
- Indian government’s decision in February 2011 to lift a four-year ban on exports of non-basmati varieties of rice paved the way for a rise in exports of those varieties.
- Thailand government under Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in the same year favoured farmers by strengthening a Rice Pledging Scheme under which it promised to procure unlimited stocks at an enhanced price that reflected a 50 per cent increase over 2010.
Rice
- Rice is a staple food for most of the population in India.
- It is a kharif crop which requires high temperature (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.
- In the areas of less rainfall, it is grown with the help of irrigation.
- In southern states and West Bengal, the climatic conditions allow the cultivation of two or three crops of rice in an agricultural year.
- In West Bengal farmers grow three crops of rice called ‘aus’, ‘aman’ and ‘boro’.
- About one-fourth of the total cropped area in India is under rice cultivation.
- Leading Producer States: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab.
- High Yielding States: Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Kerala.
- India is the second-largest producer of rice after China.
- India is the biggest exporter of rice in the world. As per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), India accounted for about 40% of the total rice exports (56 million tonnes) in the world during 2022.
- India’s rice exports are broadly categorised into Basmati and Non-basmati rice.
- Basmati Rice: In 2022-23, India exported 45.61 lakh metric tonnes of basmati rice.
- Top destinations for Indian basmati rice included Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, and Yemen.
- Non-Basmati Rice: In the 2022-23 fiscal year, India exported 177.91 lakh metric tonnes of non-basmati rice.
- The non-basmati rice includes varieties like Sona Masuri and Jeera rice.
- Basmati Rice: In 2022-23, India exported 45.61 lakh metric tonnes of basmati rice.
- Top Destination of Non-basmati White Rice: Benin, Madagascar, Kenya, Cote D’ Ivoire, Mozambique, Vietnam.
- The non-basmati rice category includes 6 sub-categories— rice in husk of seed quality; other rice in husk; husked (brown) rice; rice parboiled; non-basmati white rice; and broken rice.