Licenses of Three Indian Rice Exporters Suspended in China

18-Apr-2026 05:51 PM

New Delhi. About a month ago, China rejected consignments from three Indian rice exporters, citing the presence of genetically modified (GM) rice traces within them. Now, China has revoked the import licenses of these three exporting firms.

This decision came into effect on April 17, 2026. The Indian Embassy in China has informed APEDA of this development. It is noteworthy that the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)—a body under the Union Ministry of Commerce—also serves as the regulatory authority for the promotion of rice exports. Upon receiving this information from the Embassy, ​​APEDA has issued notifications to the three affected companies.

Informed sources suggest that if China maintains the suspension of these three Indian companies' licenses, the Government of India may also take steps to initiate retaliatory action. The government maintains that the grounds cited by China for its decision to revoke the licenses are not legally valid. It is a globally known fact that GM paddy or rice is neither produced nor imported in India.