India exported 7.3 MT non-basmati, imported 1.9 MT pulses in Apr-Oct: Govt

India has exported 26.08 lakh tonnes of basmati rice and 73.18 lakh tonnes of non-basmati rice during the April-October period of this fiscal year.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda shared export data of major foodgrains.

As per the data, the exports of basmati rice stood at 45.61 lakh tonnes in the entire 2022-23 financial year while the shipments of non-basmati rice stood at 177.92 lakh tonnes.

Exports of basmati rice stood at 44.15 lakh tonnes in 2018-19; 44.55 lakh tonnes in 2019-20; 46.30 lakh tonnes in 2020-21; and 39.44 lakh tonnes in 2021-22.

The data showed that exports of rice (other than basmati) were at 76.48 lakh tonnes in 2018-19; 50.56 lakh tonnes in 2019-20; 131.49 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, and 172.89 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 fiscal.

India's total rice production stood at 1,357.55 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 as against 1,294.71 lakh tonnes in the previous year.

Rice output stood at 1,164.84 lakh tonnes in 2018-19; 1,188.70 lakh tonnes in 2019-20; and 1,243.68 lakh tonnes in 2020-21 fiscal year.

The government has banned exports of broken rice and non-basmati white rice. The export of broken rice was prohibited and an export duty of 20 per cent was imposed on non-basmati white rice on September 9, 2022. Subsequently, the export of non-basmati white rice was also prohibited on July 20, 2023.

Pulses Imports

India imported 19.63 lakh tonnes of pulses during April-October this fiscal to meet domestic demand, the government said on Tuesday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda informed that pulses imports stood at 24.96 lakh tonnes during 2022-23, 27 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, 24.66 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, 28.98 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 and 25.28 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.

The production of pulses stood at 220.76 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, 230.25 lakh tonnes in 2019-20, 254.63 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, 273.02 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 and 260.58 lakh tonnes in 2022-23.

India imports pulses mainly from Canada and Myanmar.