80pc of BD's imported rice comes from India

India's rice exports likely jumped 22 per cent in 2017 to a record 12.3 million tonnes as Bangladesh ramped up purchases after flooding hit its crops, industry officials told Reuters.

The boost in shipments from the world's top exporter of the grain is set to extend into 2018 as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka continue to buy aggressively amid depleting inventories in No.2 exporter Thailand, the officials said.

"Bangladesh was actively buying throughout 2017. It offset the impact of slightly weaker demand from African countries," said M. Adishankar, executive director at Sri Lalitha, a leading rice exporter located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.