Rice: False Basmati at the Market

10 years ago - March 31, 2014

On the Mauritian market, 65-70 basmati rice brands are sold. These varieties of rice are imported from Pakistan and India.

Several traders import and sell basmati under different labels. Just recently the State Trading Corporation (STC) has decided to import basmati rice to stabilize prices in the local market. But the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Consumer Protection, it says that all marketed brands are not authentic basmati rice. Even the Minister Cader Sayed-Hossen confirmed to le Matinal that there is fake basmati on the market today. Many times the rice called 'long grain white rice’ is sold to consumers as basmati rice. Other rogue traders importing large quantities rice ration, they remove the broken and sold as' long grain white rice’. '' At the moment we have a problem with India. We do not have a certificate that can certify whether it is authentic basmati. We are still looking for a certification body,'' the minister said.

The Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB) has decided to put an appropriate standard, including the MS 177: 2010, after consulting both basmati rice from producing countries like India and Pakistan. Importers must produce a certificate of authenticity for clearance rice. If the department has doubts about the quality of a cargo of rice then it will test. '' We have several types of basmati rice in the country. It is quite possible that we have fake basmati on the market today because they all say that they import rice,'' said Cader Sayed-Hossen. The Ministry of Industry and Trade account do a thorough job so that we can test the quality of a variety of rice.

At the price, importers argue that the price of basmati rice will not fall to soon. In January, the price increased by 13% and is likely to increase in the coming weeks. Normally, the rice harvest is in November and December. Therefore in January, the price of rice from the new harvest is generally lowered. But this time, it is quite the opposite. The price has increased. Demand is increasing and providers themselves can not explain the increase. It was after more than two years that the price of rice is experiencing a rise of this magnitude. This is an internal factor in India that drives up the price. The Great Peninsula, which is major producers of rice, must keep a sufficient stock of rice for their own consumption

Text by Le Matinal

We also recommend

Importations : Hausse de 5,3 % en août 2022 par rapport à juillet 2022

La balance commerciale visible affiche un déficit de Rs 16 858 millions en août 2022, supérieur de 11,2 % par rapport à juillet 2022 et de 61,8 % par rapport au mois correspondant de 2021.

1 year, 6 months ago

In Mauritius, Gourmet Rice Points to a Brighter Future

In tropical Mauritius, where the change of seasons is muted, the blooming sugar cane flower is a sure indicator of the beginning of another autumn.

8 years, 6 months ago

Importation de Céréales: Le Paraguay Fait une Percée à Maurice

Les données proviennent de Statistics Mauritius. Entre janvier et septembre de 2014, la valeur des importations de céréales était de Rs 147 millions. Ce qui représente une augmentation de 76 % par rapport aux Rs 83,5 millions d’importations de 2013.

9 years, 2 months ago

Vita Grain Ltd: Franc Succès du Riz Mauricien aux Etats-Unis

Il serait plus sain que le riz en provenance d’autres pays. C’est pour cette raison que le riz produit par la société locale Vita Grain Ltd remporte un énorme succès à l’étranger. Depuis juin, la société a commencé à exporter cette denrée vers les États-Unis.

9 years, 6 months ago

Petits Importateurs : l’étau se Resserre

Le département de la douane au sein de la Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) enquête sur plus d’une centaine de personnes, plus précisément de petits importateurs qui sont rentrés au pays ces derniers mois.

9 years, 9 months ago

Basmati Rice: 2000 Tonnes Additional Imported

Given the popularity of basmati rice sold by the State Trading Corporation (STC), the body will again import this product. A cargo of 2,000 tonnes is expected in the near future. This rice costs 15% to 20% cheaper than other basmati rice on the market.

10 years, 2 months ago