On Saturday, Singapore expressed gratitude to India for allowing continued rice imports and stated, “the gesture of strong friendship is very much appreciated.”
On Saturday, the Singapore Embassy’s official Twitter account on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, posted a tweet stating, “Singapore would like to thank GovIndia in particular @MEAIndia and @dgftindia for exempting us from the rice ban. Both countries are indeed close strategic partners. This gesture of strong friendship is very much appreciated.”
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India has recently allowed rice sales to Singapore to fulfill the Southeast Asian country’s “food security requirements.”
Arindam Bagchi, the MEA’s official spokesperson, responded to media inquiries on Tuesday regarding rice shipments to Singapore. He highlighted the close strategic alliance between India and Singapore, marked by shared interests, strong economic ties, and a robust people-to-people connection. Given their special relationship, India has chosen to permit the export of rice to satisfy Singapore’s needs for food security.
On August 27, India introduced new export regulations for basmati rice. These regulations have effectively banned the export of non-basmati white rice, which is presently not permitted.
Earlier, the government claimed to have learned about misclassification and illegal export of non-basmati white rice through reliable field reports.
The ministry stated that exporters are exporting non-basmati white rice under the HS codes for parboiled rice and basmati rice.
Notably, to control domestic prices and ensure food security at home, they banned non-basmati white rice exports on July 20. Despite restrictions on specific types, authorities discovered robust rice shipments this year.
The central government amended rice export regulations on July 20, classifying non-basmati white rice as “prohibited.”
According to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the export policy for non-basmati white rice has changed from “free” to “prohibited” and is now in effect. This applies to wholly or partially milled rice, whether polished or glazed.