West Asia crisis hits rice exports from MP's Raisen, Balaghat districts

Export of basmati and boiled non-basmati rice from Madhya Pradesh to several countries has been severely impacted by the West Asia crisis, stakeholders in the sector said on Saturday. Basmati rice from Raisen and boiled non-basmati rice from Balaghat have a distinct identity and are exported to many foreign countries, including the Gulf, they pointed out. "Basmati rice destined for export from Raisen district is stuck in ports, factories and warehouses. Freight rates have increased by 30 per cent, and there is a shortage of containers. Exporters are also facing backlog of goods at ports. All this has made it difficult to fulfil orders on time," Ajay Bhalotia, All India Rice Exporters Association general secretary, told PTI. More than two dozen rice factories operate in Mandideep, Satlapur, Obedullaganj, Raisen, Bareilly, Udaypura, and Umraoganj areas of Raisen district, with high-quality basmati rice making its way to markets in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Dubai, etc, he ...