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The Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026 concluded in New Delhi on Sunday, 25 October, after three days of deal-making that its organisers say generated business worth an estimated Rs 50,000 crore. The conference, held from 23 to 25 October, drew a footfall of 24,387 participants over its two business days and brought together policymakers, international buyers, exporters and industry experts with a single goal: expanding India's rice exports and strengthening the country's position in international markets.
The headline figure comes from Prem Garg, president of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF), the body that organised the conference. Speaking to news agency ANI on the sidelines of the event, Garg said the business done during the conference had exceeded expectations, while cautioning that the final value of transactions was yet to be confirmed because several participants had not disclosed the value of their deals. "I think more than 50,000 crore rupees business already done," he said, describing the figure as an estimate rather than an audited total.
The event was attended by former President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Minister Chirag Paswan and international delegates, a turnout that underlines how seriously the government and the trade now take rice as a strategic export.
The single largest deal disclosed at the conference involved basmati rice, India's most famous export grain. Garg said one buyer had entered into a contract for around 100,000 tonnes of basmati at approximately USD 1,200 per tonne, including cost, insurance and freight — taking the estimated contract value to around USD 120 million.
Basmati, the aromatic long-grain rice grown in the Indo-Gangetic plains, is India's premium rice export, and a single contract of this size shows the scale at which global buyers are now willing to commit. Garg also pointed to growing interest from overseas markets, particularly Iraq, where demand for basmati remains significant.
Logistics emerged as a quiet hero of the conference. Garg cited a shipping initiative that had cut freight costs from around USD 300 per tonne through containers to approximately USD 100 per tonne using vessels, with shipments reaching Iraq's Umm Qasr port from India within seven days. For a bulk commodity where freight can make or break a deal, a two-thirds cut in shipping cost is a genuine competitive advantage — and a big reason buyers were willing to sign.
The conference was organised by IREF along with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and its theme was "200 Varieties. One Cultural Landscape". One of its showpiece attractions was a Global Rice Archive displaying around 200 commercially relevant rice varieties from India and other countries — from basmati and black rice to Arborio, Jasmine and Japanese sushi rice — giving buyers a single venue to compare grains and identify suppliers.
The first business day focused on the hard commercial questions: global rice demand and supply, emerging export destinations, international trade policies, shipping challenges and financial risk management. Industry experts discussed opportunities for Indian exporters in Africa, the Gulf, Europe and Asia, while examining how geopolitical developments, freight costs, weather conditions and changing import regulations affect trade. Sessions on export documentation, credit insurance, marine insurance, buyer verification and shipping logistics stressed the need for effective risk management to reduce commercial losses and shipment-related disputes.
The second business day turned to quality and the future: quality certification, government policies, trade incentives, sustainability, carbon credits and value addition in the rice industry. The message was that India cannot compete on volume alone — buyers increasingly want certified quality, traceable supply chains and sustainable production.
Garg also addressed the recent increase in international rice prices, attributing it partly to geopolitical disruptions and concerns over food security. "Price is definitely high, why? Because of Hormuz, Red Sea," he said, referring to the shipping chokepoints whose disruption has raised freight costs and risk premiums. He added that concerns around El Nino and possible supply disruptions had encouraged some importing countries to build additional stocks, pushing prices up further.
His outlook, however, was calm. Garg said he expects prices to moderate as these concerns ease: "Very soon you will see some corrections also." He maintained that there was no major global shortage of rice and that India would continue exporting substantial quantities to international markets.
On domestic production, Garg dismissed concerns about a major decline in India's rice output. "This crop size is not going to be small," he said, estimating production at around 149–150 million tonnes this year, compared with 154 million tonnes last year. A small dip, in other words — not a collapse — and one that leaves India with plenty to export.
For Indian farmers, the significance of BIRC 2026 is indirect but real. Export demand supports farm-gate prices for paddy, particularly for basmati growers in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, where export contracts are a major source of income. When exporters sign large contracts at firm prices, the benefits flow back through procurement to the mandis where farmers sell their crop.
For the wider economy, rice is one of India's largest agricultural exports, and a conference generating an estimated Rs 50,000 crore in business signals that global demand for Indian grain remains strong despite high prices and geopolitical friction. The emphasis on quality certification, sustainability and carbon credits also points to where the trade is heading: buyers who pay more for grain they can trace and trust.
There are caveats worth keeping in mind. The Rs 50,000 crore figure is an industry estimate, not an official trade statistic, and the final confirmed value may differ. Nor does a conference deal automatically translate into grain shipped — contracts still depend on harvests, logistics and prices holding up. But as a statement of intent from the world's rice trade, BIRC 2026 was unambiguous: buyers want Indian rice, and they are willing to commit at scale.
BIRC 2026 will be remembered for three numbers: 24,387 participants, an estimated Rs 50,000 crore in business, and a single 100,000-tonne basmati contract worth around USD 120 million. Behind those numbers lies a larger story — of India using its position as a leading rice producer to deepen trade ties across Africa, the Gulf, Europe and Asia, of shipping innovations cutting costs, and of an industry moving from bulk commodity sales towards certified, sustainable, value-added trade. If the deals signed in New Delhi convert into shipments, farmers, exporters and the economy all stand to gain.
BIRC 2026 was a three-day international rice trade conference held in New Delhi from 23 to 25 October 2026, organised by the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) and APEDA. It brought together policymakers, international buyers, exporters and experts to expand India's rice exports, with a footfall of 24,387 participants over its two business days.
An estimated Rs 50,000 crore, according to IREF president Prem Garg. He stressed this is an estimate, not a confirmed total, because several participants had not disclosed the value of their transactions.
A contract for around 100,000 tonnes of basmati rice at approximately USD 1,200 per tonne including cost, insurance and freight, worth an estimated USD 120 million.
According to IREF president Prem Garg, geopolitical disruptions affecting shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, plus food-security concerns that led importing countries to build stocks, have pushed prices up. He expects prices to moderate as these concerns ease.
Garg estimated this year's crop at around 149-150 million tonnes, compared with 154 million tonnes last year — a small dip, not a major decline, leaving India well placed to keep exporting.
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