To agree that Indians should keep their rice.

[orangeleavesinautumn]

Of course Indians should not be going hungry while the rest of the world eats the rice they have grown- that is madness.

They should keep and eat their own rice, and the rest of the world should eat something else - we have other cheap food in the UK, carrots, potatoes, bread, etc - we absolutely do not need to be eating Indian rice while Indians have nothing to eat.

I understand there is a problem where other populations rely on cheap rice imports, but we don't so I can't understand why anyone in the UK feels hard done by missing out on non premium rice

Of course. Everyone keeps banging on about looking after their own first in this country. India need to do the same.

I made this point about vegetable protein sources like nuts and lentils. I think it is form of neo-colonialism we strip their land of nutrients and steal their food then sell them back shitty processed carbs.

It's up to India what it does with its rice.

The UK is heavily reliant on food imports, so we're fucked if everyone stops exporting.

But I like eating rice.

Oh no, it’s you again!

Yep it is 🙄

I have no idea how anyone would disagree with this. Interested to see the reasons if someone does.

Half our food is imported, so the question is can we survive on half the food we currently have available, if no one exported to us.

And I would say yes we can, bearing in mind we eat far more than we need, and still throw away more than a quarter. WE would have to stop exporting food ourselves.

Unlikely that EVERYONE will stop exporting to us though

India also banned non-basmati rice exports in 2008, it is what you do if you have a bad harvest and lots of mouths to feed.

Food security should have been something our own Government considered.

Grow your own.
.https://www.johnnyappleseed.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-growing-rice

Interesting, like growing my own veg

Rice will become a lot more expensive if there is a shortage of it but I expect it would be difficult for the country to totally cut off exports as I'm sure they will be importing food from other countries and there will be relationships to manage to ensure they can import what they need.

This report about UK imports is quite interesting https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2021/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2021-theme-2-uk-food-supply-sources#:~:text=Supply%20sources%20for%20imports%20are,a%20risk%20to%20fish%20stocks.

When you read the percentages its important to remember we import a LOT of processed foods that will use raw ingredients from other countries, but I thought it was interesting that we are self sufficient in meat and grains, but import huge amounts of fruit and veg. When I say interesting I mean I thought we would have imported a lot of grains and meat too, I know we don't exactly have much to offer in the winter bar potatoes and turnips.

@Hufflepods "I have no idea how anyone would disagree with this. Interested to see the reasons if someone does."
"The Indians can do what they like with their rice."
"It's the free market"
"I like rice."

You'd be wrong. You need 1 acre of land to produce enough food for 1 person to survive. The UK has around 40 million farmable acres. If we stopped importing food a third of the population would starve.

Well Steff13 gave me food for thought.

This!

Thank you @LivingDeadGirlUK that is good to hear.

I don't think that adds up, because sheep farming, for example does not need farmable land, not does fishing, not do mushroom farms, nor does lavabread, etc, a lot of food sources in the UK does not need farmable land.

And we throw away so much food, and there is plenty of places people could grow food that are currently not being used.

I don't think we are heading to a situation whereby no one will export to the UK, but I think we would survive if they did. With some adjustments to standards of living, and restrictions on choice

I disagree because India’s exports brings in lots of money for them.

It also produces jobs for many people who would otherwise have zero income and therefore zero food.

If they stopped exporting it there would still be people in India starving but it would be worse because of the loss of jobs.

And that food is rice. 😁

Can anyone explain in simple words why the ban is on non-basmati rice?

I will try anything twice lol

Isn't most of the rice we eat American ?

Basmati rice is the premium product, just like how in England things like Aberdeen angus beef are the premium products. So a ban on non-basmati rice exports keeps the lower priced rice that the locals can afford to buy available to them, and the premium rice that they wouldn't be buying anyway can still be exported to make money.

Have you contacted the Indian government to inform them this OP?