NEW DELHI, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The first consignment of Indian rice, around 100 tonnes, is ready to be exported to China, said official sources in the ministry of commerce in New Delhi on Thursday.

The shipment carrying the rice will be sent from Nagpur, a city in southwestern state of Maharashtra on Friday.

It will be received by the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO), which is one of China's state-owned food processing companies.

According to the sources, as many as 19 rice mills and processing units have been registered for the export of rice from India to China.

The protocol for exporting rice from India to China was signed in June.