High volumes drive down prices, Thailand and Vietnam lose ground.

WRITER: Reuters and Post Reporters

RAIPUR, India – India’s rice exports jumped 19.4% last year to the second-highest on record after New Delhi lifted all export curbs, making shipments more competitive, government ‌and industry officials said on Saturday.

An improved flow of rice from the world’s largest exporter curbed shipments from rivals ‌Thailand and Vietnam and drove prices in Asia to their lowest in nearly a decade, easing costs for poor 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.

As supplies improved with record production, India removed the last of the export curbs that it had imposed in 2022 and 2023.

Exports rose to 21.55 million tonnes from 18.05 million in 2024, close to the 2022 record of 22.3 million tonnes, the official said.

Non-basmati rice shipments jumped 25% to 15.15 million tonnes, while basmati ‌exports ​increased 8% to a record 6.4 million tonnes, the official said.

Non-basmati rice shipments rose sharply to Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Djibouti. Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Britain increased purchases of premium basmati rice, said another government official.

India usually 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.

Thailand’s rice exports are projected to fall to 7 million tonnes this year from an estimated 8 million in 2025, with the strong baht making it harder to compete with plentiful ‌supplies from India, the Ministry of Commerce said last month.

In the first 11 months of ​2025, Thai rice shipments dropped 21% year-on-year to 7.3 million tonnes, with the value down 30.3%.

The country exported nearly 10 million tonnes in 2024.

Published Date: January 10, 2026