The Myanmar Rice Federation said on September 8 that India will resume buying rice from Myanmar after three years of suspension and plan to import 500,000 tonnes from this Southeast Asian nation.

The federation said rice prices under the deal are under negotiation and India ’s import of Myanmar rice will create competitive prices in the domestic market.

According to the Central Statistical Organisation of Myanmar, the country exported 1.2 million tonns of rice in the 2013-14 fiscal year, down 14.2 percent from 1.4 million tonnes in 2012-13.

The country sets a target of having 1.5 million tonnes of rice shipped abroad during the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

Rice exports during 2013-14 earned Myanmar 460 million USD, dropping 15.4 percent from 544 million USD in 2012-13.

Myanmar 's rice is mainly exported to China , Indonesia and Japan .

Myanmar, once known as a major rice exporter in the world especially in the 1950s, is also a leading country in the Southeast Asia region in producing and exporting beans of all kinds.-VNA