Image shows people panic buying rice in the US following India's export restrictions
Already grappling with a succession of shocks such as the pandemic, the Ukraine conflict and the impact of the El Nino, the world rice trade was shaken earlier this week when India banned the export of non-basmati white rice, which constitutes 25 per cent of its exports.
The pressure on rice, an emergency substitute for wheat, has increased after Russia cancelled the Black Sea grain deal that ensured Ukrainian exports of the grain. While traders elsewhere in the world were fretting, an immediate impact of the ban announcement was long lines at stores all over the US as people rushed to stock up on rice. Visuals showed rice bags being grabbed from the shelves by crowds of Asian customers for whom rice is a staple.
"Thai rice traders are closely monitoring the situation. We need to reassess the situation to see whether India would ease its ban," Thai Rice Exporters Association president Chookiat Ophaswongse said in a statement.
But seriously, if rice is a food staple in your household, is it really a big deal which white rice you're using, whether it's long, medium or short grain? Are there statistically significant nutritional differences between the exports being limited and those that are not?
I have a preference for Basmati myself, while my wife is OCD about using short-grain sushi rice. But if you're just talking about nutrition, I think both of us would be chill if we didn't have a vast array of rice options. FFS, when I was growing up as recently as the 80s there were 2 types of rice. Uncle Ben's/Rice-a-roni style, or medium grain white rice (who knew which specific cultivar it was - not anyone in middle America!).