India is likely to be the largest rice exporter in 2018-19 as supplies in Thailand, its competitor, are seen down. However, global rice trade in 2018-19 is likely to contract slightly due to a potential drop in shipments” to Asia and Africa. Even for the current year (2017-18), India’s rice exports are pegged higher than all its competitors at 11.1 mln tn. The export estimate is slightly above 10.7 mln tn projected in November.