Rice Futures Hover Near 2-Week High
2026-04-22 16:17
By
Luisa Carvalho
1 min. read
Rice futures traded around $11 per hundredweight, holding close to the highest in two weeks, as geopolitical tensions disrupted supply chains.
Prices had been in a prolonged downtrend since 2024 and had recently approached decade lows amid expectations of ample global supply.
Global inventories remain comfortable, with production expected to reach a record high of 563 million tons in the 2025/26 season.
India, the world’s largest exporter, has resumed near full-capacity shipments after exporting about 21.5 million tons in 2025.
However, major producers are facing higher fuel and fertilizer costs amid disruptions to key shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, linked to the Middle East conflict.
Rice, particularly basmati, relies heavily on long-distance maritime transport, making it sensitive to higher freight and insurance costs.
In Thailand, conditions have been further strained by a prolonged dry season, which has reduced yields and tightened supplies of the current crop.