India's rice export performance during the first half of the 2024-2025 financial year (April-September) has shown a mixed trend, with some categories of rice seeing declines and others experiencing growth.

1. Non-Basmati Sela Rice: Exports of non-Basmati Sela rice fell significantly, with a drop of 7.28 lakh tonnes compared to the same period last year, totaling 33.63 lakh tonnes. This decline is a key factor behind the overall weak export performance in this category.

2. Basmati Rice: On a positive note, Basmati rice exports saw an increase of 4.12 lakh tonnes, reaching 27.19 lakh tonnes in the first half of the year. This growth helped offset some of the losses from other rice categories.

3. Other Categories of Rice: Exports of whole rice from categories other than Sela and Basmati experienced a sharp decline, falling by 16.35 lakh tonnes to just 4.30 lakh tonnes. This suggests a significant reduction in the export of these types of rice.

4. Broken Rice: Exports of broken rice, on the other hand, increased by 5.39 lakh tonnes, reaching 10.34 lakh tonnes during the same period. This is notable as broken rice is often in demand in markets that require lower-priced rice products.

Contextual Factors:

• White Rice Export Ban: India's export of white non-Basmati rice was banned in July 2023, although government-level exports continued. The export of white rice was partially reopened in September 2024. The ban on Tukdi rice (since September 2022) also impacted overall exports, though government-to-government exports persisted.

• Past Export Performance: In comparison, during the financial year 2023-24, India exported 75.70 lakh tonnes of Sela rice, 52.42 lakh tonnes of Basmati rice, 23.59 lakh tonnes of other types of rice, and 5.45 lakh tonnes of broken rice. In 2022-23, total exports were higher for Sela rice (78.46 lakh tonnes), Basmati rice (45.59 lakh tonnes), white rice (63.99 lakh tonnes), and broken rice (30.49 lakh tonnes), suggesting a decline in some key categories this year.

The weak performance in rice exports for the first half of FY 2024-25 can be attributed to a combination of factors, including restrictions on certain rice categories, fluctuating international demand, and the reopening of exports for specific rice varieties like white rice. As the year progresses, the impact of these policy changes and global market conditions will likely shape the full-year export performance.