India’s decision to ban some of the rice exports has led to intense threat purchasing in several nations, with videos on social media revealing bags of the staple food flying off the shelves and long lines outside grocery stores. From the US to Canada and Australia, reports of overseas Indians stocking up are going viral. Some shops have enforced purchasing limitations, whilst others hiked prices to cash in on the frenzy. Indian restaurants worry about a shortage.
Rice is important to the diets of billions in Asia and Africa. India’s restrictions, which are applicable to importation of non-basmati white rice, are aimed at controlling local prices, but they add to strains on global food markets that have already been destroyed by toxic weather and the deteriorating conflict in Ukraine. In the US, videos reveal people caught up in a buying frenzy. Bloomberg could not independently verify their authenticity. Some South Asian grocery stores in Toronto have also enforced purchasing restrictions and raised retail prices, according to CityNews.