Govt extends duty benefits to non-basmati rice exporters to boost shipment

The government has extended duty benefits to non-basmati rice exporters under a scheme to boost the shipment of the agri commodity.

The duty benefit is provided under the commerce ministry's Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS).

"Non-basmati rice items have been made eligible for MEIS benefits at the rate of 5 per cent for exports made with effect from November 26 and up to March 25, 2019," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a public notice.

DGFT, under the commerce ministry deals with export and import related policies.

Under MEIS, government provides duty credit scrip or certificate depending on product and country.

Those scrips can be transferred or used for payment of a number of duties including the basic customs duty.

India is one of the largest exporters of non-basmati rice and in 2017-18, the country exported 8.63 million tonnes of the rice, which was more than double the quantity of basmati rice exports of 4.05 million tonnes.

Non-basmati rice exports during April-February 2018 stood at $3.26 billion as against $2.53 billion in 2016-17.

Rice is the country's main kharif crop. As per the first advance estimates of foodgrains production for kharif (summer-sown) season for 2018-19 crop year, rice output is estimated at record 99.24 million tonnes as against 97.5 million tonnes of production in last year's kharif season.

The sowing operation of kharif crops begins with onset of monsoon and harvesting starts from mid-September. Paddy, maize and soyabean are major kharif crops.