Customs officials stopped two ships of organic rice

27-Aug-2024 11:18 AM

Kandla. Customs department officials have stopped two ships of organic rice consignments being shipped from Kandla port in Gujarat. According to informed sources,

the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), a subordinate body of the Union Ministry of Commerce, has asked the Customs Department officials to stop all containers of organic rice for investigation.

APEDA was receiving complaints that white (raw) and sella non-basmati rice is being exported indiscriminately in the name of organic rice since October 2023. In the first four months of the current financial year i.e.

during April-July 2024, the export of organic rice from the country increased to 1,46,585 tonnes, which was more than the total shipment of 1,07,727 tonnes during the entire period (April-March) of the financial year 2023-24. This also made the customs department suspicious.

It is worth mentioning that commercial export of non-basmati white rice is banned from the country while 20 percent export duty is applicable on sella rice.

Some consignments were also exported as organic sella rice. APEDA is the nodal agency for export of organic products.

It has asked a Sikkim-based certificate issuing institution to stop issuing certificates for sensitive products like organic cotton and soybean etc. It is understood that this institution issues certificates for more than a thousand exporters.