Asia rice: India export rates steady, Vietnamese prices tick up post harvest season

Indian rice export prices were steady this week, as ample supplies offset a modest improvement in demand, while rates in Vietnam edged higher as supplies tighten post Spring-Winter harvest season.

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted this week at $344-$350 per ton, unchanged from the last week. Indian 5% broken white rice was priced at $338 to $344 per ton.

“Demand is slowly improving, but many buyers are still waiting for freight rates to decline,” said a New-Delhi based trader.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $377-$380 per metric ton on Thursday, compared with last week’s $375-$380, according to one trader. While another trader quoted the price as high as $440 per ton.

“The Winter–Spring harvest is coming to an end, so supplies are tightening. Prices may continue to rise in the coming sessions,” said one of the traders based in the Mekong Delta.

For the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s total rice shipments fell 1.2% from a year earlier to 2.3 million tons, a Customs Department report said.

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Th trader added that “market activity has picked up in recent weeks, with buyers stockpiling amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and expectations of reduced output from Bangladesh and Thailand.”

Thailand’s 5% broken rice was quoted at $410-$415 per tonne, down from $410-$440 last week.

The Thailand market reopened Thursday after a three-day public holiday and remains quiet, a Bangkok-based trader said, adding that it was difficult to give a firm quote as some rice mills have still not reopened and market activity remains subdued.

Prices are expected to remain firm due to dry weather, which has reduced output, as well as higher freight and fertilizer costs, another trader in Bangkok said.

Meanwhile in Bangladesh, domestic rice prices remained stubbornly high, hitting consumers hard.

Moreover, the country is experiencing a fuel crunch as a result of the Iran war, leaving tens of thousands of farmers struggling to secure diesel for irrigation at a critical stage of the paddy season.