India will send its first consignment of common grade rice to China on Friday, the government said, following intense lobbying by New Delhi after relations thawed between the two countries. A consignment of 100 tonnes would be shipped to China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corp (COFCO), one of China`s state-owned food processing holding companies, India`s Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement on Thursday.

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China is a leading importer of rice and sugar, while India is the world`s biggest exporter of rice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi finalised an amended agreement in June related to the export of non-basmati varieties of rice from India to China.

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New Delhi is concerned about its rising trade deficit with China, and has sought greater access to the world`s second-largest economy for agricultural products including rapeseed, soybeans and sugar.