Non-Basmati Rice Exporter to Togo
Indian IR64 parboiled rice (riz etuve) and broken rice (brisure de riz) delivered through the Port of Lome, the deepest port in West Africa and the busiest container hub on the Gulf of Guinea. Lome's deep-water berths take the largest vessels directly, lowering freight per tonne, then feed Togo's market and the landlocked Sahel beyond. Supply spans 5%, 25% and 100% broken parboiled and white grades, ready for re-export to Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Chad.
Togo: India's rice gateway to the Sahel
Small in population but outsized in trade, Togo punches far above its weight as a rice market because of one asset: the Port of Lome. In FY 2024-25 Togo took around 489 million US dollars of Indian rice, up 48 percent year-on-year, placing it among India's eight largest rice export destinations, alongside Saudi Arabia, Benin, Iraq, Iran, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and the UAE.
What drives this is Lome's role as the premier deep-water transshipment hub of West Africa. The port handles more than a million TEU of transshipment cargo a year and acts as the maritime gateway for the landlocked Sahel. Rice arriving at Lome serves Togo's own consumers and, more significantly, moves overland to Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Chad, or is transshipped onward to other regional ports.
For an importer, Togo offers two advantages that the shallower ports nearby cannot match. First, Lome's deep-water berths accept the largest container vessels directly, which lowers freight cost per tonne and removes the delays of feeder transshipment. Second, India's rice is now fully unrestricted for export, and its price competitiveness is exactly why shipments to Togo jumped almost half in a single year.
Alstoe India Exports supplies Togo and the Sahel trade with the parboiled, white and broken grades the region runs on, documented for clean clearance at Lome and onward ECOWAS transit.
Togo Rice Import: Key Facts
- Indian rice imports FY 2024-25
- ~$489 million
- Year-on-year growth
- +48%
- India's rank as rice supplier to Togo
- Dominant / #1
- Primary port
- Lome (deep-water)
- Lome port draft
- 16.6 metres
- Largest vessel handled
- Up to 24,000 TEU
- Container throughput (2023)
- ~1.9 million TEU
- Main onward markets
- Burkina, Niger, Mali
- Benchmark grade
- IR64 parboiled 5%
- Transit from India
- 18 to 25 days
Why the Port of Lome changes the economics of rice
Lome is not just another West African port. It is the regions deepest harbour and its leading container gateway, and that has direct consequences for rice freight and reliability.
West Africa's deepest port, and its biggest container hub
The Port of Lome is the only natural deep-water port on this stretch of the Gulf of Guinea. Its 16.6-metre draft and 1,050-metre container dock allow it to berth the largest container ships afloat, vessels up to 24,000 TEU. That deep-water capacity is why Lome is the first container port in the Gulf of Guinea and a transshipment platform that redistributes cargo to ports across the region.
Lower freight per tonne
Because Lome takes the largest vessels directly, rice can move on bigger ships with better economies of scale. That translates into a lower freight cost per tonne than ports that can only handle smaller feeder vessels, a real margin advantage for importers and the Sahel re-export trade.
No transshipment delay
Shallow ports often need cargo to be feeder-shipped via a hub, adding days and handling. Lome's depth allows direct mainline calls, so rice arrives faster and with less double-handling, which matters for schedule reliability into the interior.
One gateway, four Sahel markets
Lome is the maritime gateway for Burkina Faso, its single largest transit partner, plus Niger, Mali and Chad. A single discharge at Lome can supply Togo and feed onward overland trade across the Sahel under ECOWAS transit, consolidating logistics for regional importers.
Rice grades for Togo and the Sahel trade
Every grade below is supplied as a non-basmati rice exporter to Togo, sortex-cleaned and built for the long overland haul into the Sahel. Riz etuve, riz blanc et brisure de riz pour Lome et le Sahel.
The grade most specified across Togo and the Sahel. Long-grain parboiled, 5% broken, sortex-cleaned to 99.9% purity. Its hardness survives long overland transit to Burkina Faso and Niger without excessive breakage, making it the dependable choice for the re-export trade.
The everyday parboiled grade that moves in the largest tonnage through Lome. 25% broken, sortex-cleaned, priced for the mass Sahel market where affordability decides the sale. The workhorse of bulk and breakbulk shipments into the region.
The most economical grade and a staple of Sahel diets, where broken rice is widely eaten. 100% broken parboiled or white rice, freely exportable from India again since the March 2025 ban lift. Maximum volume for the most price-driven buyers.
Long-grain white rice in 5% and 25% broken for buyers and consumers who favour non-parboiled grain. Clean, sortex-milled and competitively priced, rounding out a full grade range from a single Lome shipment.
The standard long-grain white IR64 traded throughout West Africa, in 5% and 25% broken. Economical and consistent, it suits both retail bagging in Togo and bulk overland distribution into the Sahel interior.
Medium-grain Swarna and Sona Masoori parboiled, supplied to order for specific consumer preferences in Togo and neighbouring markets. Offered where a softer, medium-grain profile is wanted alongside the standard long-grain range.
Where rice goes after Lome
Lome's transshipment role means most rice does not stay in Togo. Sizing an order means understanding the Sahel corridors it feeds.
How we deliver rice to Lome
Direct deep-water calls from India's main rice-loading ports to the Port of Lome.
What Togo rice importers worry about, solved
The practical issues in the India to Togo rice trade, and how we resolve each one.
Breakage on long overland hauls
Rice bound for Burkina Faso or Niger faces hundreds of kilometres of road after Lome. We supply hard, well-milled parboiled rice at controlled moisture so it survives the haul with minimal breakage, protecting saleable weight at the final Sahel market.
Getting the freight advantage of Lome
Lome's deep water only helps if cargo moves on the right vessels. We structure shipments to capture the economies of larger ships calling Lome directly, passing the lower freight per tonne into a sharper CIF Lome price.
Quality varies between sample and shipment
We send a lot-matched pre-shipment sample drawn from the exact lot loading your shipment, with the NABL lab COA. Broken percentage, moisture and sortex purity on arrival match what you approved before dispatch.
Transit paperwork for the Sahel
Clean India-side documents are the foundation for smooth ECOWAS transit. We provide complete Phytosanitary, Certificate of Origin, fumigation and COA paperwork so your Lome agent can raise transit documents for Burkina, Niger, Mali or Chad without gaps.
Consolidating multiple Sahel destinations
Serving several countries from one shipment is complex. We help structure grade mixes and packing so a single Lome discharge can be split cleanly for different onward markets, simplifying your regional distribution.
Reliable, repeat supply
The Sahel trade rewards consistency. We commit to recurring shipments with steady loading from Mundra and Kakinada, so importers building the Lome-to-Sahel corridor can rely on supply season after season.
Export quality parameters
Standard specification ranges for non-basmati rice shipped to Togo. Custom grades available on request.
| Parameter | Parboiled (Riz Etuve) | White / Broken |
|---|---|---|
| Broken grains | 5% / 25% options | 5% / 25% / 100% |
| Moisture (max) | 14% | 14% |
| Foreign matter (max) | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Damaged / discoloured (max) | 1.5% | 2% |
| Chalky grains (max) | 3% | 4% |
| Milling / cleaning | Sortex 99.9% | Sortex cleaned |
| Average grain length | Long grain | Long grain / broken |
| Crop | Current crop | Current crop |
| Packing | 25kg / 50kg PP bags | 25kg / 50kg PP bags |
| Loading | 25 to 27 MT / 20ft, or breakbulk | 25 to 27 MT / 20ft, or breakbulk |
From enquiry to delivery at Lome
A clear five-step process for container and breakbulk supply into Togo and the Sahel.
Enquiry & grade
Share grade (IR64 5%, 25% parboiled, 100% broken, etc.), quantity, onward destination and container or breakbulk preference.
CIF quote
We return a CIF Lome quote, typically within 24 hours, built on current FOB pricing and the best vessel option.
Sample & COA
Lot-matched sample with NABL lab Certificate of Analysis for approval before confirmation.
Order & terms
Confirm order, agree payment terms (LC or advance TT), packing and labelling.
Ship & document
Dispatch to Lome with the full export document set for clean clearance and onward ECOWAS transit.
Togo rice import questions answered
Request a rice quote for Togo
Tell us your grade, quantity, onward destination and shipment preference. We return a CIF Lome quote, typically within 24 hours, with a lot-matched sample on request. Demandez un devis CIF Lome.