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Demand for Indian rice remains strong across international markets despite rising prices and global supply chain uncertainties, with buyers from Europe and Timor-Leste looking to strengthen trade partnerships and explore new sourcing opportunities.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026 in New Delhi, international delegates highlighted continued demand for Indian basmati and non-basmati rice, while pointing to pricing and logistics challenges. Loc Sautron, Director of LIINK LTD, Hong Kong, said higher prices were affecting buyers, but demand for Indian rice remained intact. "It definitely is impacting the demand. The price is getting more and more high during the last years. But the demand is still here," Sautron told ANI. He said the challenge for importers was securing competitive prices while ensuring sufficient supplies for their customers. Sautron, who imports basmati and non-basmati rice for international markets, said he was looking to expand business across Europe and explore opportunities in China. "For me, I would export Indian rice to France and more broadly to Europe. And I would try to open, I'm trying to open China as well," he said. On procurement plans, Sautron said he was targeting regular monthly shipments to meet customer requirements. "I would be targeting, let's say, 20 to 25 containers a month in order to satisfy my different customers," he said. He indicated that a comfortable purchase price for basmati rice would be around USD 1,000-1,100 per metric tonne. Sautron also highlighted the importance of strong shipping and supply chain partnerships amid geopolitical tensions affecting international trade. Meanwhile, Carlos Antunes Amaral, Director, National Directorate of Quarantine and Biosecurity, Timor-Leste, said the country was looking to strengthen its rice trade relationship with India. Amaral, who attended the conference as a government delegate, said Timor-Leste was already importing Indian rice and wanted to improve coordination between government agencies and private businesses. "This is one important observation to make communication better for this, well, government level, also private sector level," he said. He added that Timor-Leste was facilitating rice imports through its regulatory framework. "We Timor-Leste, provided the import permit to export the product from India," Amaral said. Highlighting the importance of the conference, Amaral said it offered an opportunity to understand the different varieties of Indian rice and assess their quality and availability for future imports. The remarks reflect continued international interest in Indian rice even as exporters and buyers navigate higher prices, shipping uncertainties and changing demand patterns. The Bharat International Rice Conference 2026 was held from October 23 to 25 in New Delhi, bringing together Indian exporters, international buyers and other stakeholders in the global rice trade. (ANI)
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