Don’t get into a cat and mouse chase over rice
Live MintClose on the heels of a 20% export tax slapped on parboiled rice, India’s government has set a minimum-price barrier of $1,200 per tonne for the export of basmati rice, the premium kind for which the country has a global reputation. These measures are aimed at shoring up domestic supplies, so that prices are held in check amid worries of a harvest shortfall, with key rice-growing regions left parched by uneven rains this kharif season. After tomato prices surged to gasp-inducing levels and the impact of inflation on household budgets became a talking point, the government can ill-afford more food price spikes as key state and national elections loom. By curtailing rice exports, New Delhi deprives farmers of a chance to take advantage of high international foodgrain prices.