Russia has lifted the ban on import of non-basmati rice from India on 10th September and also lifted the ban on the oilseeds apart from non-basmati rice, reports media.
This move will eventually lead to an increase in the export of non-basmati rise from India.
"Now Russia has lifted ban on import of non-basamti rice from India and we hope to make significant gains in the Russian market. They have also removed ban on oilseeds," Commerce and Industry Secretary S R Rao told media in New Delhi recently.
The Russian Federation had imposed the ban eight months ago due to the presence of khapra beetles pest in rice and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts.
Russia decided to remove restrictions after its officials visited processing units in India in June. The delegation was convinced about the safety measures that were put in place here while processing these food items, the official said.
The resumption of trade comes as the country seeks to boost exports to address the current account deficit.
India is the world's second largest rice producer, with an output of 104.40 million tonnes in the 2012-13 crop year (July-June). The country exports significant quantity of basmati and non-basmati rice in the overseas markets.
International Grain Council (IGC) has recently projected that the country may export 8.5 million tonnes in 2013-14, down by almost 10 per cent from 9.4 million tonnes shipments made in the last year.
According to the media reports, this followed a visit to India by a high-level delegation representing Russia's foreign ministry earlier this year, and hectic negotiations, which included India's promise to comply with the country's food safety regulations. The Russian government recently issued a notification in this regard.
It was pointed out in the notice that during the Russian delegation's visit, the Indian side guaranteed compliance. It added that this resulted into their agreement to allow the import of non-basmati rice, cereals and peanuts from India with effect from September 1, 2013.
Source:- smetimes.in
No comments:
Post a Comment