India to bar rice exporters from UN World Food Programme tenders
NEW DELHI : India will not grant permission to domestic rice exporters to participate in United Nations World Food Program (WFP) tenders, a senior official told Mint, a move that risks stoking global food security concerns. This is the first time New Delhi has taken such a measure, which is yet to be announced publicly.
India’s stand is guided by its effort to ensure domestic food security and check inflation, this official said, and comes against the backdrop of WFP, the world's largest humanitarian organization, recently inviting tenders for broken rice supplies to Spain, Cameroon, Togo and Algeria. WFP provides food relief to populations hit by conflict, disaster and the impact of climate change.
“WFP has recently invited tenders for the supply of broken rice to four countries--Spain, Cameroon, Togo and Algeria and therefore, DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) has received representations to allow Indian rice exporters to participate in the tender process," the official cited above said. “Bilateral export at the government-to-government level, of select commodities for humanitarian purposes, is already in place.
After a long deliberation, it was decided that at present, permission to participate in the WFP tender process may not be granted, and bilateral exports on a case-by-case basis may be continued considering the export ban in place amid India’s priority to ensure food security." India imposed a ban on broken rice exports in September 2022 and on non-basmati white rice in July 2023 to augment the domestic supply and keep inflation in check after patchy monsoon rains sparked worries over lower rice output. Mint in August reported that the WFP had sought 200,000 tonnes of rice for its humanitarian
. Read more on livemint.com
