Unnecessary restrictions

Curbs on rice exports are ill-advised

The curb imposed by India on the export of rice, barely a few months after stopping the export of wheat and its products, seems an imprudent and ill-timed move. Barring parboiled and Basmati rice, the two premium types of this staple, the export of all other kinds of rice has either been prohibited or subjected to a high export duty of 20 per cent to virtually rule out their outbound shipment. These measures are bound to affect international supplies and prices of staple cereals, exacerbating food-security concern in several food-deficit countries. India had drawn considerable flak from global leaders and