Iran crisis: 60,000 tonnes of basmati rice stuck in ports, exporters seek urgent govt. aid

3 months ago 1
ARTICLE AD BOX
Image for representational purposes only.

Image for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

As adjacent to 3,000 containers containing 60,000 metric tonnes of basmati atom stay stuck astatine assorted Indian ports, atom exporters person demanded contiguous authorities assistance to look the “severe shipping and logistics disruption” due to the warfare successful West Asia.

Maintaining that India’s atom commercialized with Africa and West Asia unneurotic accounts for astir fractional of nationalist atom exports, the exporters urged the Union authorities to contented an authoritative advisory recognising the existent logistics disruption arsenic a “force majeure type” of exceptional circumstances.

Around 90% of full atom exports towards West Asia, worthy astir ₹25,000 crore annually, is basmati atom and atom exporters told The Hindu that the concern has impacted their concern precise badly.

Read: Iran-Israel warfare LIVE

In a missive to Chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Abhishek Dev, the Indian Rice Exporters Federation said the authorities indispensable contented an authoritative advisory oregon notification recognising the existent disruption arsenic a force majeure type of exceptional circumstance.

“This volition easiness contractual show issues and trim undue unit from buyers successful the signifier of forced terms reductions, penalties, oregon unilateral cancellations for circumstances beyond exporters’ control. It volition besides enactment exporters’ discussions with buyers, banks, insurers and logistics partners,” the missive said.

Amit Goel, laminitis of KNAM Foods and an exporter of basmati rice, told The Hindu that the exports to West Asia is 30% little than the corresponding play of past year. “Business should person picked up earlier the opening of Ramzan period oregon wrong Ramzan. The ships are not sailing to eastbound ports of Arabic countries. We judge that this is simply a impermanent concern and precise soon atom commercialized volition bounce backmost arsenic it is simply a staple food,” Mr. Goel said.

Vice-president of IREF Dev Garg said the precocious play of the commercialized has already passed and income are astatine the lowest level astatine present. “The large contented contiguous is with respect to containers and different logistical costs. We are seeing a 20% summation successful bulk complaint and astir 40% summation successful instrumentality freight rates. This is simply a precise important outgo and nary exporter is capable to carnivore specified a immense summation successful transportation,” Mr. Garg told The Hindu.

He said 3,000 containers carrying astir 60,000 metric tonnes of atom are stuck astatine assorted ports and the IREF is successful “minute to minute” interaction with the authorities connected the situation. He said the IREF has demanded alleviation measures specified arsenic waiver of port-related charges, facilitation for cargo successful transit to beryllium returned, redirected oregon diverted, with Customs/RBI enactment for documentation and outgo adjustments and impermanent banking enactment done ad-hoc moving superior limits and recognition extension.

Published - March 05, 2026 10:58 p.m. IST

Read Entire Article