Basmati prices cool at home as a restive Red Sea hurts exports

Leading shipping lines’ decision to avoid the Suez Canal route amid Houthi attacks has also impacted sunflower oil imports from Russia and Ukraine. Sunflower oil prices in the local market are likely to go up by 3-4% as international prices have increased by $30 per tonne in the last one week to $940 per tonne, trade insiders said. Basmati exporters said the export market has become sluggish and the shipping cost to places like Jeddah, Yemen, Beirut, and Durban have shot up multiple times in some cases.