Relief For Kenya As India Lifts Ban On Rice
India has removed the restriction on exporting rice to Kenya and four additional African nations.
Since May 2022, the nation has consistently enforced restrictions on the export of its rice offerings. India halted the export of non-basmati rice and imposed a 20 percent export tax on basmati rice.
Despite affecting non-governmental exports, India has been allowing limited amounts of rice export under specific conditions through government-to-government agreements.
The revised agreements allocate the majority of 100,000 Metric tonnes of rice to Kenya, with Egypt getting 60,000 MT, Madagascar receiving 50,000 MT, Comoros obtaining 20,000 MT, and Comoros securing 10,000 MT.
India’s National Cooperative Exports Limited approved on December 7, 2023, a few weeks after it decided to end the prohibition on six different countries outside of Africa.
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India, in their explanation, mentioned that the lifting of the ban was aimed at assisting Kenya and five other nations in addressing challenges related to ensuring food security.
This occurred just three months after the nation imposed export sanctions on various products to multiple countries.
Kenya has been contending with increased prices recently due to India reducing its rice imports by 250,000 metric tons. This reduction is significant as India is the primary source of rice for Kenya.
Due to the prohibition, the nation had no choice but to look to Pakistan and the nearby nation of Tanzania as substitutes to boost the availability of rice and fulfill the required quantities.
India defended itself by stating that it aimed to prevent dishonest traders from evading regulations by illegally packaging white rice as basmati rice.
“The MEP will help authorities ensure that non-Basmati rice is not exported as Basmati rice,” India explained its rationale following the ban on August 27, 2023.
Rice ranks at position 12 in Kenya’s food imports.
Relief For Kenya As India Lifts Ban On Rice