Delhi conference to explore new markets for Indian rice

Delhi conference to explore new markets for Indian rice left Image used for representational purposes only. K.K. Mustafah K.K. Mustafah K K Mustafah KERALA, PALAKKAD, 22/10/2026. Changing Crop Patterns: Workers dry harvested paddy in the sun at a stockyard in Palakkad on Thursday. ELEWHERE IN KERALA, the north east mosnoon has started eariier than usual with the rains overlapping with the rertreating SW monsoon.

Climate change poses a serious threat to paddy cultivation in India, particularly in Kerala, where rising temperatures, erratic monsoon rainfall, floods, droughts and increasing pest and disease incidence are affecting crop yields and altering cultivation patterns. India recorded a record rice production of 150.18 million tonnes in 2024–25, according to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, underscoring the crop’s importance to national food security.

However, projections by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) warn that, without adaptation measures, rain-fed rice yields could decline by 20% by 2050 and 47% by 2080. In Kerala, Palakkad faces rising temperatures and water shortages, Kuttanad is vulnerable to flooding, while the Kole wetlands in Thrissur are exposed to unseasonal rainfall. The adoption of climate-resilient rice varieties, improved irrigation and drainage systems, and timely harvesting will be crucial to safeguarding crop yields and farmers’ livelihoods.

PHOTO: K K MUSTAFAH/ THE HINDU Trade and business representatives from over 150 countries to attend the meet to assess the 2027 price outlook and identify ways to earn more from rice NEW DELHI Trade and business representatives from over 150 countries will attend the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) beginning in Delhi on Friday (October 23, 2026). Organised by the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF), the three-day conference brings together exporters, importers, millers, policymakers and food businesses to explore new markets, assess the 2027 price outlook and identify ways to earn more from rice.

It will see 65 speakers participating in nine knowledge sessions and 2,038 scheduled business meetings to connect India’s rice industry with global markets. “We want exporters to find new customers, buyers to discover suitable products and millers to identify where they can improve returns. The next chapter of India’s rice trade must be about creating more value, not simply selling more tonnes,” said Dev Garg, national vice-president, IREF.

The nine sessions will cover crop surveys and price forecasting; new export markets; documentation, insurance and credit; bulk and container shipping; quality and certification; policy and incentives; sustainability; profitable rice milling; and value-added products. After the recent war on Iran, one of the major buyers of Indian rice, and the crisis in West Asia, the IREF had been urging the Union government to help the exporters find new markets and assistance in clearing cargos stuck in Strait of Hormuz.