USDA has raised its estimate for India’s rice export in 2017-18 by 0.5 mln tn to 11.5 mln tn. The rise in export estimate may be attributed to higher projection of rice output this year. US agency had last month increased its estimate for India’s rice production in 2017-18 to a record 108.0 mln tn, against its previous forecast of 106.0 mln tn. Lower prices of Indian rice compared with its global competitors are also likely to boost the country’s exports.