India’s government is stepping up to help basmati rice exporters, who have been hit hard by the West Asia conflict.
With freight rates shooting up and containers in short supply, shipping out basmati, especially to West Asia (which buys most of it), has become a real challenge.

Basmati shipping to London now $2,000

Shipping a container to London now costs $2,000 instead of $800, a huge jump that is hurting India’s $6 billion basmati industry.
To ease the pain, the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation is speeding up claim settlements and covering extra charges.
Exporters, led by Satish Goel, also want the RoDTEP export incentive scheme extended past March 2026 to keep things stable.
The government says it is working on solutions soon.

Published Date: March 30, 2026