ASIA-PACIFIC India on Wednesday scrapped its rice import duty as the government took emergency measures to increase food stocks after the worst drought in more than 30 years cut agricultural output.
India is the world’s second-largest producer and consumer of rice after China and has seldom made big purchases of rice on international markets. This year, however, it has been forced to turn to greater imports after one of the worst monsoons since 1972 and flooding damaged the domestic crop in northern India.
