Agriculture exports relying on 5 items make sector volatile: GTRI

India's agri export basket is dependent on just five commodities including rice and sugar and this makes the sector vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand, a report by economic think tank GTRI said. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that these five products -- basmati rice, non-basmati rice, sugar, spices, and oil meals -- account for 51.5 per cent of India's total agriculture exports. Furthermore, India grapples with various domestic challenges, including infrastructural deficits, quality control issues, and non-tariff barriers, all of which impede the growth and competitiveness of the country's agricultural sector, it said. "This makes them (agri exports) vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and demand," it said, adding these commodities also face frequent export bans in India. At present export of non-basmati rice is banned from India and the country is also fighting at the WTO (World Trade Organisation) to protect subsidies to rice and whea