Patented ‘village rice’ from Kumbakonam exported to Ghana, Yemen

A begin-up company has exported two consignments of four.5 tonnes of patented “village rice” sourced from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district to Ghana and Yemen by using air and sea routes.

A statement from the Agricultural and Processed Meals Items Export Improvement Authority (APEDA) stated that the begin-up company Udaya Agro Farm has sourced the “village rice” directly from farmers in Thanjavur, the rice bowl of Tami Nadu.

APEDA assisted the begin-up company, which ideas to maximize its volume of exports of the unique rice around the next couple of months. The orders received by Udaya Agro Farm is viewed as a significant boost to India’s non-basmati rice exports possible.

The one of a kind feature of “village rice” is that it is enriched with protein, fibre, and many minerals.

Red rice exports

This advancement will come on the heels of APEDA encouraging in the shipments of “red rice” from Assam to the US in March this calendar year. Iron-rich “red rice” is developed in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam devoid of using any chemical fertilizer. The rice selection is referred to as “Bao-dhaan”, an integral element of the Assamese foodstuff.

Previously this thirty day period, a consignment of rice was exported from the Paradip Worldwide Cargo Terminal, Odisha, to Vietnam. This was for the 1st time in latest years, non-basmati rice was exported from Paradip Port.

APEDA, which is the nodal company for agricultural and processed foodstuff exports in the state, is working with many stakeholders this sort of as farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters and importers across the globe to harness India’s non-basmati rice exports possible.

All through 2020-21 fiscal, the cargo of non-basmati rice witnessed an extraordinary rise of 146 per cent. As a result, non-basmati rice exports totalled ₹35,448 crore in contrast with ₹14,four hundred crore during 2019-20 fiscal.

Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian nations around the world are carried out from many ports of India this sort of as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. Paradip will shortly emerge as 1 of the significant rice-exporting port of the state.

The sharp spike in rice exports, particularly during a phase exactly where globally the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted provide modifications numerous commodities, has been attributed to the governing administration having prompt actions to assure rice exports whilst having all the Covid-19 similar protection precautions.

APEDA has promoted rice exports through collaborations with many stakeholders in the worth chains. The governing administration experienced set up the Rice Export Marketing Forum (REPF) underneath the aegis of the APEDA. REPF has representations from the rice business, exporters, officers from APEDA, ministry of commerce and administrators of agriculture from significant rice-manufacturing states which include West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, the statement extra.