India, the world's largest rice shipper, has imposed a levy on rice exports of various grades as the country strives to secure local supplies of the staple grain after sowing was reduced due to insufficient rainfall.
Unmilled rice and husked brown rice will be subject to a 20 percent export duty beginning September 9, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday.
It added that semi-milled or totally milled rice, other than parboiled and basmati rice, will also be subject to a 20 percent tariff.
In a country that has already prohibited wheat exports and curtailed sugar shipments this year, below-average rainfall in important rice-producing provinces such as West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh has prompted worries about rice output.
(With agency inputs)
