British Rice Industry Fears India Pact Will Kill Off Local Mills
Industry warns cutting tariffs in free trade deal would decimate jobs and investment.
Separating rice at the Veetee Rice facility in Rochester, UK, in August.
Photographer: Hollie Adams/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A £1 billion ($1.2 billion) corner of the UK economy is fearing for its future as Britain and India close in on a long-awaited free-trade agreement.
British rice millers such as Tilda Ltd. and Veetee Rice have thrived for decades by importing low-tariff unmilled brown rice from the likes of India and Pakistan and “polishing” the grains into the white product loved by UK consumers.