India exports a record 19.8 MT of rice and wheat in FY21

India has exported a record 19.8 million tonnes of rice and wheat, valued at Rs 69,331.45 crore in the financial year 2020-21.

Rice exports are at an all-time high that includes, 13.09 million tonnes non-basmati of Rs 35,448.24 crore and 4.63 million tonnes basmati of Rs 29,849.40 crore. The 2.09 million tonnes of Rs 4,033.81 crore for wheat is also the highest since 2014-15.

This increase in exports is on account of many factors, mainly being India capturing new markets, namely, Timor-Leste, Puerto Rico, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, and Chile.

Exports were also made to Malaysia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Iraq, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Togo, Tanzania Rep, and Madagascar.

It is also notable that in the financial year 2020-21 a record 92 million tonnes of rice and wheat was allocated from the central pool. That included 60.32 million tonnes under the National Food Security Act ( NFSA) and other regular welfare schemes, besides 31.52 million tonnes under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), Atmanirbhar Bharat Package (for returning migrant labourers), and other programmes launched in the wake of the Covid-19 induced lockdown.

Earlier, India’s overall export of essential agricultural commodities for the April’20-Feb’21 period had increased by 18.49% to ₹2.74 lakh crore as compared with ₹2.31 lakh crore in the same period last year.