Videos Show NRI Panic Buying Rice in US As Indian Govt Imposes Ban on Export

The Indian government’s decision to impose a ban on the export of non-basmati white rice has triggered panic buying among NRIs in the United States. Several videos which have gone viral on social media show Indians queueing up outside grocery stores in order to hoard rice packets. The decision came on Thursday when the Indian government issued a notification through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade stating that the export of non-basmati white rice has been prohibited.

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One of the videos which has gone viral shows Indians climbing shelves and pulling away heavy bags of rice. Footages from supermarkets have also gone viral and it shows people buying rice in bulk. “This is USA. All these people, most likely, have Master’s degrees in STEM and are working for the best companies out there. Common sense is not that common!” wrote a Twitter user while sharing the video.

Here, have a look at the videos:

“Desi’s and our love for all things RICE . As a fellow Rice Lover , I feel their pain, agony and frustrations ,” wrote a Twitter user. Another person mentioned, “I heard news of folks fighting for toilet papers at Costco during COVID. Humans behave like this when basic survival instincts kicks in, blaming Indian or cultural shows this guy’s inferiority complex.”

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As per B.V. Krishna Rao, the president of the Rice Exporters Association, the surge in paddy procurement price by the government has been a factor contributing to the rising prices. He believes that the government is holding more rice stocks than necessary for welfare schemes, and therefore, there is no need to restrict rice exports.