India’s rice exports declined by 7.5% to USD 11.53 billion in 2025-26. The fiscal year 2024-25 had recorded rice exports of 20.1 million tonnes valued at USD 12.5 billion. Rice is a major agricultural export item of India, and basmati rice forms a large share of premium shipments to West Asia.
Export Value and Volume
India’s rice export value fell in 2025-26 after a contraction in shipments to key destinations. March 2026 exports declined by 15.36% to USD 997.53 million. Lower price realisation for basmati rice was one factor in the fall in export value during FY26.
Major Markets for Indian Rice
Iran is a major market for Indian basmati rice. Other important destinations include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. These markets are part of the wider West Asian trade corridor for Indian agricultural exports.
Trade Disruptions and Geopolitics
Geopolitical tensions in West Asia affected export flows to Iran and other regional buyers. The conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran disrupted order flows, payment cycles, and ship schedules. Such disruptions affect both commodity movement and trade settlement in international markets.
Rice Export Classification
Rice exports from India include non-basmati rice and basmati rice. Basmati rice is a long-grain aromatic variety grown mainly in northern India and Pakistan. India is one of the world’s largest rice exporters, and export performance depends on domestic output, global prices, freight costs, and trade restrictions.
Earlier Projections
Some projections in late 2025 and early 2026 had estimated a rise in exports for 2025-26 after the removal of export restrictions. These projections also linked higher shipments to expectations of a record harvest and export volumes of up to 30 million metric tonnes.
Last Modified: April 23, 2026