India, which has banned the export of non-basmati white rice, sparked a rush at shops selling the product amid fears of rising prices following the announcement.
• Also read: India bans the export of white rice
Many videos and photos shared on social media show Americans queuing at multiple stores and even a rush into a Costco warehouse to get several bags of rice.
A video posted by the @dallas_texastv account on TikTok shows people picking up dozens of bags of rice from a Costco in Dallas. Scenes that border on the panic you see in other states.
Queues also emerged at several specialty grocery stores in Texas, Michigan and New Jersey, according to the Times of India. Demand was so great that traders had to limit the number of bags of rice per customer.
Screenshot @dallas_texastv on TikTok
India has banned the export of non-Basmati white rice to “guarantee” an “adequate” supply to Indian consumers and to mitigate rising prices in the domestic market, India’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Food said in a statement late Thursday.
In the second quarter, India’s non-Basmati white rice exports rose 35 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.
Screenshot @dallas_texastv on TikTok
In September, India had already banned the export of broken rice (cheaper rice whose grains were accidentally or unintentionally broken) and imposed a 20% tax on the export of high-quality rice, following a severe drought in its major rice-growing regions.
International prices for rice, a major world staple, have risen sharply due to the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon on rice field yields.
India’s non-basmati white rice exports account for about a quarter of India’s total rice exports. Last year, the country exported 10.3 million tons of non-Basmati white rice.
Screenshot @dallas_texastv on TikTok