Rice exports dip 67.5%, shipments of buffalo meat, fruits & vegetables robust.

Written by Sandip Das

India’s exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by a modest 3.3% year-on-year to $20.99 billion during the April-January period of the current fiscal, as rice, which has the biggest share in the country’s agri-products exports basket, declined due to geo-political factors.

The value of rice exports including basmati and non-basmati varieties, declined by 7.5% on year to $ 9.33 billion during the April-January period of FY26. In January, 2026, India, the biggest exporter of rice in the world, shipped grain valued at $ 1.03 billion, a decline of 25% on year.

Geopolitical Headwinds

“Amid geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran over the past year, India’s rice exports to Iran faced disruptions, although some recovery has been observed recently,” Ranjit Singh Jossan, vice president, the basmati rice millers and exporters association, Punjab, told FE.

In addition, Pakistan, India’s competitor, has announced a duty drawbacks of 9% on basmati and 3% on non-basmati, and has provided direct price advantage to its exporters. India rice exporters

New Growth Drivers

According to data provided by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the shipment of buffalo meat, dairy and poultry products in the first ten months of FY26, increased sharply by 25% to $ 5.19 billion.

India exported boneless buffalo meat valued at $ 4.06 billion in FY25. Buffalo meat shipment is the second biggest commodity after Basmati rice in terms of value of shipment in the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) basket.

Officials said there has been a rise in demand for the Indian bovine meat across the globe due to its quality and nutrient value. India has emerged as the second biggest exporter of buffalo meat and the export destinations are Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

The APEDA coordinates boneless buffalo meat exports through approved integrated meat plants and these plants are inspected by importing countries. The exports of fruits and vegetables during April-January period of FY26 rose by close to 4% to $3.09 billion on year. The exports of cereals preparation rose by over 4% on year to $ 2.69 billion on year.

Shipment of cashew rose by over 19% during the first ten months of the current fiscal to $ 344 million a year.

In FY25, India’s agricultural and processed food products exports were $ 25.14 billion. The share of exports of products under the APEDA basket is around 51% in the total shipments of agricultural produce.The rest of the agricultural product exports include marine, tobacco, coffee, and tea.

Overall shipment of rice was 20.1 million tonne (MT) during FY25, which was valued at a record $ 12.95 billion. India shipped rice to 172 countries.India has been the biggest rice – basmati and non-basmati – exporter in the world in the last decade and it has a market share of around 35% to 40% in rice trade.

Published Date: February 18, 2026