Satish Handa

Ambala:  Exporters of rice in Haryana are worried over ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. They said the Iran-Israel war will leave a bad effect on the exporters in the state. Large number of Haryana’s Basmati exporters may suffer losses due to the Iran-Israel war, due to payments worth rupees 2000 crores of Indian exporters are likely to be stopped, which would affect the export of Basmati rice. They said, about 2.50 lakh metric tonnes of rice is waiting for shipping at the port and Basmati prices have also fallen in the domestic market. Exporters are waiting for the situation to normalize, which may also adversely affect the farmers. 

State President of Rice Exporters Association, Sushil Jain said the effect of Iran-Israel war has started showing on the Indian market as well. Payment of about two thousand crores of Indian exporters has been stopped in Iran. There is a break on the next order as well. Due to the war, Iranian traders have put the payment on hold for the time being. Jain said, not only this, there is confusion about further exports due to no concrete decision being taken, about 2.50 lakh metric tonnes of Basmati rice of Indian exporters is lying at the port waiting for shipping. The situation has become such for Indian exporters that they cannot even keep this rice back in stock, right now the exporters are following the policy of wait and watch. He said it is not easy to export the rice stuck at the port to another country as an alternative, since the export of Indian rice to Iran is about 9 lakh metric tonnes, it is almost impossible to fill such a big gap suddenly. In such a situation, traders are waiting for the situation to become normal. Jain disclosed that due to the break in our rice in Iran, the price of Basmati rice in the Indian domestic market has seen a fall of 6 to 7 rupees per kg. and if the situation takes time to become normal, then the prices may come down even further.

According to information, Basmati production in seven states, Haryana has the highest share. There are 95 districts of seven states producing Basmati across the country. Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir have a favorable environment for Basmati rice. Basmati is cultivated in about 7.8 lakh hectares in Haryana. If we talk about the share, Haryana has the highest, while in the financial year 2024-25, Haryana alone had a share of 1.86 million tonnes in the 5.3 million tonnes export. Jain further said, it is assumed, due to low demand of Basmati in the international market, domestic prices will remain low. Exporters will wait for the situation to become normal, due to which their stock will increase, which may affect the farmers in the upcoming paddy season, exports will be affected due to low demand, due to which the price of paddy may also fall.

State President of Rice Exporters Association, Sushil Jain said there is very little possibility of finding an alternative for export, because it is not possible to find a buyer as big as Iran. If the government finds a solution, then it is possible that the clouds of crisis may disperse from the rice industry and the exporters in the state are watching the situation.

Published Date: June 20, 2025