<h3 data-path-to-node="3" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">NEW DELHI / MUNDRA</b> — <b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="21" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Surging Freight Premiums, War-Risk Surcharges, and Transit Bottlenecks Trap Premium Grain Shipments at West Coast Ports</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="4" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-161" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-279 citation-end-279" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Escalating maritime insecurity along key West Asian transit corridors—specifically the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz—has triggered a severe disruption in India’s agricultural EXIM supply chain.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="2" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-278 citation-end-278" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Nearly 500,000 metric tonnes (0.5 million tonnes) of premium Basmati and non-Basmati rice bound for primary Middle Eastern and European buyers remain stranded across Container Freight Stations (CFSs) and port yards at Mundra and Kandla in Gujarat.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="3" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="5" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-162" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-277 citation-end-277" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The shipping friction comes at a critical juncture as Northern Indian rice millers and exporters face compounding financial liabilities from soaring ocean freight tariffs, container shortages, and elevated war-risk insurance premiums.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="4" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><h4 data-path-to-node="6" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="6" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Key Destinations &amp; Volume Breakdown</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="7" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Out of the nearly 0.5 million metric tonnes currently held in port hinterlands and CFS warehouses:</p><ol start="1" data-path-to-node="8" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,0,0" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-163" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="8,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Iran-Bound Cargo Squeezed:</b><span class="citation-276 citation-end-276" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Approximately 300,000 metric tonnes (0.3 million tonnes) were specifically destined for Iranian ports.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="5" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> Heightened naval surveillance and commercial shipping line avoidance in the Strait of Hormuz have virtually halted direct booking loops to Bandar Abbas.<sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,1,0" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-164" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="8,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">GCC Market Exposure:</b> The remaining 200,000 metric tonnes comprise contracts signed for major Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) buyers, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman. <span class="citation-275 citation-end-275" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Saudi Arabia alone imports nearly 1.2 million tonnes of Indian Basmati annually, while Iran accounts for roughly 800,000 tonnes—making the Gulf corridor the lifeblood of India's aromatic rice trade.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="6" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,2,0" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-165" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-274" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></span><b data-path-to-node="8,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Escalating Logistics Costs:</b><span class="citation-274 citation-end-274" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Exporters report that container ocean freight rates to West Asian destinations have spiked dramatically, with war-risk insurance surcharges adding hundreds of dollars per TEU, eroding already thin profit margins for agricultural traders.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="7" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li></ol><h4 data-path-to-node="9" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Industry Outlook &amp; Trade Performance Impact</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="10" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-166" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-273 citation-end-273" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">India commands nearly 45% of the global rice trade, supplying over 140 nations.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="8" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-272 citation-end-272" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Official agricultural trade figures show that while total Indian rice exports totaled $11.53 billion in FY26, the ongoing maritime bottleneck threatens to derail Q2 FY27 performance unless carrier schedules and freight rates stabilize.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="9" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="11" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-167" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-271 citation-end-271" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Highlighting the risk of prolonged inventory holding, Ranjit Singh Jossan, Vice-President of the Basmati Rice Millers and Exporters Association, warned of systemic risks across the supply chain:<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="10" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="12" id="p-rc_e8ab16353d569d91-168" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-270 citation-end-270" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">"Having half a million tonnes of premium rice sitting in coastal yards creates an immense capital lock-up for exporters and rice millers," stated Jossan.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="11" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> "Beyond the immediate cash-flow crunch, prolonged storage during the monsoon season increases the risk of moisture absorption and cargo spoilage. If carrier alliances do not restore predictable container allocations and normalize contingency surcharges, Indian exporters risk losing crucial market share in West Asia to regional competitors."<sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="13" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Exporters are actively petitioning the Ministry of Commerce &amp; Industry and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to intervene with ocean liner consortia to negotiate stabilized freight caps and secure priority vessel berths for perishable food commodities.</p>