China has allowed the import of basmati rice from 14 mills in India and is carrying out quality assessment in more mills. China is assessing the possibility of importing basmati rice from India. They have already approved 14 mills in Punjab and Haryana for basmati exports. A team of Chinese experts is likely to visit India on Saturday to carry out quality checks on more mills. However, the timeline for exports remain undefined as basmati rice is not popular in China and they mostly consume sticky rice. It will require a lot of campaigning to promote the fragrant rice. China may also start importing non-basmati rice from India as Beijing has cleared the grain of any risk of introduction of alien pests.