India rice crop down, may up basmati exports - expert

DUBAI (Reuters) - India expects rice yields to fall to 96-97 million tonnes in the coming season but the country may export more basmati rice to meet high demand, a trade expert said on Sunday.

Vijay Setia, former president of All India Rice Exporters Association, told Reuters that the harvest was expected to be less than last year's 99 million tonnes.

The annual monsoon rains, a lifeline to India's trillion-dollar economy, are expected to be below normal for the first time in four years, the Indian government said on Wednesday.

This year, exports of basmati rice may increase to 2.5 million tonnes from 1.5 million tonnes last year, Setia said on the sidelines of a conference in Dubai.