India has formalised its return to the centre of global rice trade with a five-year commitment to supply the World Food Programme — a deal that carries direct implications for rice-importing nations across sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.
According to the Press Information Bureau of India (February 18, 2026), the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the WFP signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the supply of 200,000 metric tonnes of rice — with up to 25 percent broken grains — to support humanitarian operations combating hunger worldwide. The MoU was signed by FCI Chairman Rabindra Kumar Agarwal and WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau.
The pricing has been fixed at ₹2,800 per quintal (approximately $33 per tonne at current exchange rates) until March 31, 2026, with annual renegotiation thereafter. As KNN India (February 19, 2026) reported, Carl Skau described the agreement as a key milestone in fighting global hunger, noting that India’s support will help WFP reach vulnerable populations with nutritious food more effectively over the next five years.
The partnership builds on discussions held at a WFP Executive Board meeting in Rome in February 2025, as Swarajya Magazine (February 19, 2026) reported. India, which produces roughly 130 million metric tonnes of rice annually, has increasingly positioned itself as a key contributor to global food security efforts — particularly following the turbulence caused by its own export restrictions between 2022 and 2024.
The context matters significantly. India imposed a ban on non-basmati white rice exports in July 2023, triggering panic buying across Asia and pushing the Asian benchmark rice price to its highest levels since 2008. The restrictions were gradually eased through 2024 and fully lifted by March 2025, according to Business Standard (January 12, 2026). The result was dramatic: India’s rice exports surged 19.4 percent in 2025 to 21.55 million metric tonnes — the second-highest on record — with non-basmati shipments jumping 25 percent to 15.15 million tonnes.
The flood of Indian rice back into global markets drove prices in Asia to nearly decade-low levels. Business Standard reported that non-basmati rice shipments rose sharply to Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Djibouti, while premium basmati rice saw increased demand from Iran, the UAE and Britain. Analysis by Coface projected prices would continue falling through 2025, with stabilisation in 2026 at levels not seen in a decade.
However, India’s rice export policy remains unpredictable. In May 2025, the Ministry of Finance reimposed a 20 percent export duty on parboiled rice and specific milled rice varieties, as Business Standard reported — a reminder that New Delhi retains the willingness to intervene when domestic supply concerns arise.
For Nigeria, which imports substantial volumes of rice annually and whose consumers are acutely sensitive to global rice price movements, the WFP deal signals two things. First, India is making a structured, long-term commitment to channel surplus rice into the global humanitarian system — adding predictability to a market that has been anything but predictable. Second, the sheer volume of India’s export recovery means Nigerian importers now have access to more competitively priced supplies than at any point since 2022.
The risk, as India’s policy history demonstrates, is that this access can be withdrawn overnight. Countries that build import strategies around Indian supply remain exposed to the political calculations of a government that has shown it will prioritise domestic food security over trade commitments when pressured.