India’s rice exports surge in late December on high demand from Africa

• Kakinada Port Drives Shipment Recovery, Guinea and Togo Lead Destinations
• Steady Supply Outlook Keeps Near-Term Shipment Momentum Stable

India’s rice shipments rebounded sharply in the week ended 26 December, with dispatches rising to 137,170 tonnes, compared with 62,016 tonnes in Week -3 of December, supported by improved execution at Kakinada port and steady demand from African buyers.

Kakinada led weekly movements, shipping 109,170 tonnes in Week 4 , largely comprising IR64 5% parboiled rice, alongside IR64 5% PB & 10% white rice and IR64 5% PB & 100% white rice. Guinea emerged as the largest destination, with 40,620 tonnes of IR64 5% PB discharged at Conakry, while Togo’s Lome received 44,200 tonnes, spread across multiple parboiled consignments. Senegal and Sierra Leone together absorbed steady volumes, reflecting stable retail and institutional demand for mid-quality parboiled and blended white rice grades.

In Week -3, shipment activity remained subdued. Kakinada dispatched 50,000 tonnes, including IR64 5% PB and blended parboiled–white rice cargoes to Senegal, while Kandla shipped 12,016 tonnes, mainly rice in bags and PB rice in bags, to Yemen (Aden) and Somalia (Bossaso), catering to traditional bagged-rice markets. Vizag re-entered the export map in Week 4 with a 28,000-tonne bagged rice shipment, while remaining inactive in the prior week.

Comfortable pipeline caps near-term upside

On the supply side, pipeline volumes remained ample, with 281,188 tonnes at anchorage at Kakinada, alongside expected arrivals of 36,000 tonnes at Kakinada and 45,500 tonnes at Kandla, pointing to sustained shipment potential in the near term.

Overall, the week-on-week surge in shipments reflects a recovery in execution rather than a structural demand shift, with IR64 parboiled grades continuing to anchor India’s non-basmati exports to Africa. Near-term shipment momentum is expected to remain steady, supported by comfortable port-side inventories and stable overseas buying interest.

Grade and destination-wise shipment 

• IR64 5% parboiled rice: Shipped mainly from Kakinada to Guinea (Conakry) and Togo (Lome), forming the bulk of Week 4 executions.
• IR64 5% PB & 10% white rice: Dispatched to Senegal (Dakar), reflecting continued demand for blended consumer grades.
• IR64 5% PB & 100% white rice: Shipped to Sierra Leone (Freetown) in smaller, steady lots.
• Bagged rice / PB rice in bags: Moved from Kandla to Yemen (Aden) and Somalia (Bossaso), catering to traditional bagged-rice markets.
• Bagged rice (unspecified grade): One-off shipment from Vizag, indicating opportunistic execution rather than a structural shift.

Outlook:

We expect overall sentiment to remain muted due to comfortable port-side availability and improved shipment execution toward the end of the month. High anchorage volumes reflected ample supply rather than congestion stress, while better vessel clearances helped lift short-term confidence. With forward arrivals in place, market urgency stayed limited, even as exporters showed greater willingness to execute cargoes once freight was fixed.