India topples Thailand as world's largest rice exporter

[Mod]

India topples Thailand as world's largest rice exporter

NEW DELHI: -- India has the emerged as the world's largest rice exporter in 2012 beating its Asian counterpart Thailand with shipment of 9.75 million tonnes, according to USDA's latest report.

Thailand was the top rice exporter with exports of 10.65 million tonnes in 2011. However, its volume slipped to 6.5 million tonnes in 2012.

"On the export side, India's exports were raised 1.75 million tonnes to a record 9.75 million tonnes based on a record pace of shipments to date and larger supplies. This makes India the largest rice exporter in 2012, a first for India," the USDA report said.

India is followed by Vietnam, which shipped 7 million tonnes of rice, Thailand (6.5 million tonnes), Pakistan (3.75 million tonnes) and the US (3.5 million tonnes), it added.

THE TIMES OF INDIA 2012-10-29

[Jamaw]

However, other media in India reports (I will dig it out) that India cannot feed its-self as millions starve due (they say) to incompetence and corruption.

I have witnessed the poor logistical problems whilst in India and the wastage, but some of my many Indian friends inform me that India is desperate for foreign currency and was never previously a big exporter, now many more in India will be without food as hard currency matters more (allegedly).

[Jamaw]

This is one view from the BBC but there was a very good, scathing article in The Times of India by a Delhi journalist and it went into great detail which was astonishing to read.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18482389