APEDA has issued a new SOP for rice exports following China’s rejection of non-basmati consignments over alleged GMO (genetically modified organisms) contamination. It has begun to enforce the new procedures from Tuesday (June 9). Keen to protect its footprint in a lucrative neighbouring market that shows strong demand for Indian broken rice, the trade body is acting to cushion the sector against falling export volumes in parts of Africa.

In a notice on June 8, APEDA general manager Vinita Sudhanshu said that in order to ensure compliance with the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for the export of rice to China, a procedure has been developed for the guidance of exporters and other stakeholders.

“The procedure shall come into effect for all RCAC applications received by APEDA from June 9 onwards and shall be applicable to all rice consignments intended for export to China,” she said asking exporters to ensure compliance with the prescribed requirements.

Africa saturated

Welcoming the issuance of the standard operating procedure (SOP), The Rice Exporters Association President B V Krishna Rao said China is an important market as Africa is saturated to meet its concerns of GMO. However, speaking to businessline, Rao said that the export contracts already concluded and shipments presently under execution should be allowed to continue until July 31 as a transitional arrangement under the new system. He suggested the SOP may be implemented from August 1 to provide sufficient time to exporters.

At the meeting of the Non-Basmati Rice Development Fund (NBDF) in May last week, a section of exporters said that some African countries such as Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin and Sudan have taken restrictive measures to reduce rice imports, which has adversely impacted Indian non-Basmati rice, sources said.

APEDA Charman Abhishek Dev, while addressing the NBDF committee, asked rice exporters to represent at African trade events independent of APEDA’s participation, the sources said. Dev also stressed on the need to diversify rice exports toward high-potential markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and China, where India’s share is yet to reach its true potential. Exporters need to incentivise farmers to grow the varieties demanded in these destinations, he said.

Unrelenting China

When some exporters raised the issue of rejection of consignments by China, Dev told them that meeting with General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) has been held and in that meeting APEDA clarified that India is a non-GMO country for rice. India also shared with GACC confirmation by ICAR and GEAC that there is no availability of GMO rice seeds, nor any commercial cultivation of GM rice in India was ever allowed.

But, industry sources said that since China did not budge from its stand, India had issued the SOP to get a testing done for GMO so that a uniform procedure is followed by all exporters.

According to the SOP, the export of rice to China shall be allowed only from the rice mills/processing units registered with Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (DPPQS), in accordance with the 2016 Order. The DPPQS under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare registers the rice mills/processing units for export to China. Indian exporters are also mandated to either register with GACC or have to source rice only from GACC-registered facilities.

APEDA has also stipulated that exporters shall continue to obtain Phytosanitary Certificate issued by DPPQS prior to export to China. “Export consignments of rice shall be allowed to be shipped to China only after testing by laboratories recognized by APEDA having scope of accreditation for GMO analysis in rice,” it said.

Surging exports

Exporters shall have to apply to recognised laboratories for drawing and testing of samples for GMO analysis under a specific format. After sampling, the lot shall not be shifted/relocated by the processing unit or exporter to another location, it said.

Only after conformity of the sample, the exporter will apply for the Registration-cum-Allocation-Certificate (RCAC) by submitting the Certificate of Analysis to APEDA.

India had exported 315,193 tonnes worth $103.90 million (Rs 922.15 crore) of non-basmati rice to China in 2025-26, against 180,805 tonnes worth $79.43 million (Rs 677.87 crore) in 2024-25. As China had restrictions on Indian rice through non-tariff barriers, the export was less till 2019-20 – only 567 tonnes in 2019-20, but it surged to 331,571 tonnes in 2020-21 after it removed those curbs.

Published on June 12, 2026