The first non-basmati rice consignment flagged off officially from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT) in Odisha to Vietnam on May 3. This is the first time that rice is exported from the port.
Chairman of APEDA M Angamuthu, who flagged off the shipment, said, "The rice exports through PICT would hugely boost India's exports of non-basmati rice to Southeast Asian countries while boosting income of at least two lakh farmers from Odisha and adjoining states."
Paradip is the newest port to be put open for rice exports after the deep water port in Kakinada.
According to exporters and rice millers, Paradip port will open a new gateway for millers of the region. This port, which is used to import and export non-agricultural commodities like chemicals, iron ore, coal, fertilizers, and others, is now all geared up for agri exports. This has created a lot of interest among the rice millers of the area.
Until now, rice from Odisha was exported from ports of Kakinada and Vizag. This led to additional transportation costs. Now, with the opening up of Paradip port for agri exports, traders can enjoy reduced logistics cost. This is as per a statement by the President of The Rice Exporters Association, BV Krishna Rao.
According to experts and traders, Indian rice is in high demand in Vietnam. The first consignment consisting of 5% broken rice was priced at $400 per tonne.
