China Opens Up Market To Indian Rice, Set To Receive Its First Consignment From Nagpur Soon 

The first consignment of non-basmati rice (white rice 5 per cent broken) of 100 tonnes is to be shipped to China from Nagpur on Friday (28 September), PIB has reported. The consignment will be received by China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO). COFCO is one of China's state-owned food processing holding companies.

After persistent efforts of the Government of India, 19 rice mills have been registered for export of non-basmati rice from the country. This has been made possible due to the agreement on phytosanitary measures which was inked between the country during PM Modi’s visit to China in June 2018.

This measure will help in reducing India’s trade deficit with China. The trade deficit with China is close to $52 billion in 2017. The overall trade between the two countries was at an all-time high of $84.4 billion. The measure will also play a role in increasing the income of farmers in India.