China has agreed to import rice, non-basmati and basmati varieties, from 17 registered mills in India, following efforts to ensure market access for Indian products in that country.
India had repeatedly sought market access for items including non-basmati rice, pharmaceuticals and many fruits and vegetables among others, citing the country’s widening goods trade deficit with China.
India’s goods trade deficit with China has ballooned from $1.1 billion in 2003-04 to $52.7 billion in 2015-16.
China is the world’s largest rice importer.
However, Beijing had so far not granted market access to India’s non-basmati rice claiming that the item had failed to meet Chinese norms on quality, health and safety.
Its apprehensions included the possibility of the Khapra beetle (or cabinet beetle) pest getting transported along with Indian non-basmati rice consignments to China.
Chinese officials visited India in September to inspect 19 rice mills registered with the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO).
These mills are in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
To export to nations including China, it is mandatory that Indian rice exporters are registered with NPPO, the Indian government agency for inspecting the mills and granting certificates on plant health for export purposes.
