AMMAN, JORDAN -President of Foodstuff Traders Association (FTA), Khalil Haj Tawfiq, said India’s decision to restrict its exports of some rice varieties will not affect the Kingdom, as Jordanian traders do not import the types covered by the new restrictions.
In a statement issued Saturday, he said India took a decision two days ago to ban export of various rice varieties and impose export duties on other types, which does not include the ‘Basmati’ rice imported by the Kingdom.
India’s decision will not affect availability of rice in Jordan’s local market, neither hike its prices, he said, stressing that the Kingdom only imports ‘Basmati’ rice varieties from India.
The decision mainly targets broken (fragmented) rice and non-Basmati types, which are not imported by Jordanian traders and exported to African countries due to low prices, according to Haj Tawfiq.
He said that 75 percent of the Kingdom’s rice consumption is concentrated in the medium-grain variety, which is imported from the United States and EU countries.