India rice exports tilt toward West Africa as Benin leads vessel lineup

• Benin accounts for nearly a quarter of shipments from Indian ports
• West African markets dominate demand in the current export program

India’s rice export pipeline continues to be dominated by West African demand, with Benin emerging as the largest destination in the latest vessel lineup from Indian ports. Shipments to Benin total 180,700 tonnes, accounting for 24.3% of the overall export program of 745,067 tonnes. Sierra Leone follows with 126,800 tonnes, representing 17% of the total cargo volume, while Guinea absorbs 83,000 tonnes, or 11.1%.

Other key destinations in the region include Togo with 70,700 tonnes and Ivory Coast with 68,450 tonnes, taking 9.5% and 9.2% of shipments respectively. Senegal rounds out the major West African buyers with 61,000 tonnes, equivalent to 8.2% of the total export volume.

Diverse markets absorb remaining cargo

Beyond the leading West African destinations, the remaining 154,417 tonnes, or 20.7% of the cargo program, are distributed across smaller markets including Liberia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Somalia, Angola and Congo.

The vessel lineup highlights India’s continued reliance on African demand to absorb large volumes of non-basmati rice, particularly white rice and parboiled grades. The concentration of shipments toward West Africa underscores the region’s strategic importance for Indian exporters as they navigate global competition and shifting trade flows in the rice market.