According to the latest report of the US Agriculture Department (USDA), for the first time in several years Pakistan is likely to pip India in the list of rice exporting countries because of export curb imposed here.

In the USDA list of world's top 15 rice exporting countries, Thailand will remain at the top with an estimated 10 million export followed by Vietnam at 4.7 million MT.

Indian government had banned export of non-basmati rice in April after it found that the system of minimum export price (MEP) was not effective in restricting the shipments.