India’s rice exports jump 19.4% in 2025 after lifting curbs

India’s rice exports rose 19.4% in 2025 to the second-highest level on record after the Centre lifted all export curbs, making shipments more competitive, government and industry officials told Reuters on Saturday (January 10).

The higher shipments from the world’s largest rice exporter reduced exports from rivals Thailand and Vietnam and pushed prices in Asia to their lowest level in nearly a decade. The fall in prices helped ease costs for 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.

With record production improving supplies, India removed the last of the export curbs that had been imposed in 2022 and 2023. Rice exports increased to 21.55 million metric tons in 2025 from 18.05 million tons in 2024, close to the 2022 record of 22.3 million tons, the official said.

Non-basmati rice shipments rose 25% to 15.15 million tons, while basmati rice exports increased 8% to a record 6.4 million tons, he said.

Another government official said non-basmati rice exports rose sharply to Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Djibouti during the year. At the same time, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Britain increased purchases of premium basmati rice.

India typically 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.

(With inputs from Reuters)