Customs foil rice smuggling via Kochi port disguised as salt shipments sparks alert
By Toby Antony
Customs has seized shipments of long-grain white rice being sneaked out of Kochi port passed off as salt. Officers stumbled upon the ruse while inspecting purported salt shipments bound for the United Kingdom. In just the past month, they nabbed 230 tonnes of rice from 11 containers at Vallarpadam terminal.
To curb the price rise in the domestic market, India imposed a ban on the export of non-basmati white rice and set a minimum export price (MEP) of $1,200 per tonne on basmati rice shipments two years ago. The MEP was reduced to $950/tonne last October.
India, renowned as the world’s largest rice exporter, is famed for its premium long-grain varieties, including basmati, prized for their aroma. Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States are among the major destinations for the product. Globally, rice prices have surged due to ongoing conflicts and curbs by India, which accounts for nearly 40% of global rice exports. Exploiting this surge in demand, exporters are resorting to smuggling rice for hefty profits. “Most of the shipments originated from exporters in Tamil Nadu. Attempts have also been made to smuggle white and basmati rice from Kozhikode. Anticipating more such attempts, we’re intensifying checks of containers carrying food grains and products,” a senior customs officer said.
The modus operandi involves booking containers for salt transport. “The containers filled with rice sacks are topped off with a layer of salt sacks. Exporters assume that only basic checks are conducted at freight stations. However, we meticulously scrutinise every container to thwart smuggling,” the officer said.
Special unit probing rice seizures
According to the officer, container freight stations have been alerted. “We’ve observed that the price of basmati rice and long-grain white rice has tripled abroad since the export ban. All seized containers were bound for London,” he added. Meanwhile, a special investigation unit is probing the seizures.
“Similar rice smuggling attempts were reported in 2011-12 at Kochi port following export bans. We remain vigilant regarding other banned food items as well,” he emphasised.
This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.