India’s 2025 rice exports surge to near record as curbs lifted

India’s ‌rice exports jumped 19.4% last year to the second-highest on record after ‍New Delhi lifted all export curbs, making shipments more competitive, government and industry officials told Reuters on Saturday.

An improved flow of rice from the ‍world’s largest exporter of the grain curbed shipments from rivals Thailand and ‍Vietnam and drove prices in Asia to their lowest in nearly a decade, easing costs for poor consumers in Africa and other regions.

Indian shipments rebounded quickly after the government lifted export restrictions in March, said a government official, who asked not to be named ‌as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

As ‍supplies improved with record production, India removed the last of the export curbs imposed in 2022 and 2023.

Exports rose to 21.55 million ​metric tonnes from 18.05 million in 2024, near the 2022 record of 22.3 million tonnes, the official said.

Non-basmati rice shipments jumped 25% to 15.15 million ​tonnes, while ‍basmati exports increased 8% to a record 6.4 million tonnes, he ‌said. Non-basmati rice shipments rose sharply to Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Djibouti, while Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Britain increased purchases of ​premium basmati ‌rice during the year, said another government official.

India usually exports more rice than the combined shipments of the world’s next three largest exporters: Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.

“Indian rice is very competitive compared with supplies ‌from other exporting countries, with lower prices helping India regain lost market share,” Nitin Gupta, senior vice president at Olam Agri India, said on the sidelines of the India International ‍Rice Summit.

Meanwhile India has overtaken China as the world’s largest rice producer, reaching 150.18 million tonnes in 2025 as compared to China’s 145.28 million tonnes, marking a historic milestone in the nation’s agricultural journey, Indian Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at New Delhi recently, The Tribune newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, experts emphasise that emerging rice-producing states should draw lessons from Punjab’s experience.

“Surpassing China is a remarkable achievement. We have filled our granaries to capacity, and are no longer a nation dependent on others for sustenance. Today, we are a country that supplies rice to the world,” The Tribune reported quoting Chouhan as saying.

He unveiled 184 new crop varieties spanning 25 field crops at a function.

Addressing scientists and agricultural experts, the minister said, “It is our duty to contribute our utmost to building an Aatmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat.”

Meanwhile in an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, offered a complex perspective — celebrating the achievement, while cautioning against its ecological costs.

Gosal noted that the government had been working to replicate Punjab’s success in eastern India and had even launched a movement the ‘Green Revolution in Eastern India’, targeting states like Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, eastern Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

“The government has given a push to agriculture in these states with incentives, subsidies and high-quality manures,” he said, adding that the effort aims to overcome constraints limiting rice-based cropping systems.

Calling Punjab, the “national laboratory for agriculture”, Gosal emphasised that innovations were tested in the state first.

“Punjab has already suffered the loss in the form of depleting water tables. Now the same pattern will be repeated in other states, with stubble burning cases also being reported there,” he warned.

Another factor driving India’s record output is the adoption of short-duration, high-yielding rice varieties. For instance, PB126 matures in 123 days, and is disease-resistant and also requires less water. PR131 and PB121 are also gaining popularity in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

“These varieties have boosted yields while reducing water demand, making them attractive to farmers across northern states,” Gosal explained.

The PAU is now working on developing flood-tolerant rice varieties, aimed at supporting cultivation in eastern India’s flood-prone regions. “These innovations will help sustain productivity while addressing climate-related challenges,” Gosal added. India ranks first in the production of rice worldwide, but the purpose it serves is equally vital. Unlike China, India not only grows rice for its massive home market but is also among the biggest exporters.

Millions of metric tonnes are exported to Africa, the Middle East, and beyond annually. One particular variety—Basmati—has become globally famous, particularly from areas such as Punjab and Haryana. Talk to any rice trader, and they’ll inform you India is one nation that balances consumption with trade more than most.

Agencies