India is gearing up to expand its rice export footprint to 26 new international markets, including key destinations such as the Philippines, Indonesia, the UK, and Mexico, according to Abhishek Dev, Chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
The announcement comes ahead of the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2025, where industry leaders, exporters, and policymakers will gather to explore new trade opportunities and strengthen India’s role in the global rice supply chain.
India’s rice exports have been witnessing robust growth. In September 2025, exports surged by 33.18% to USD 925 million, while during April–September FY25, they grew by 10% to USD 5.63 billion, Dev said while addressing reporters.
“We are looking to expand our exports to these 26 markets,” Dev noted, highlighting that several of these countries—including Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Iraq, the US, Malaysia, China, France, the UAE, Brazil, South Africa, Belgium, Japan, Germany, and Kenya—currently import significant quantities of rice from competing nations like Pakistan.
The two-day BIRC 2025, to be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, is being organized by the Indian Rice Exporters’ Federation (IREF) in collaboration with APEDA. The event is expected to attract over 3,000 farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), 1,000 foreign buyers from more than 80 countries, and 2,500 exporters, millers, and allied industries.
According to the Commerce Ministry, the conference aims to unlock ₹1.8 lakh crore worth of potential in new rice import markets and facilitate the signing of ₹25,000 crore in export MoUs.
Dev said the event will bring together producers, exporters, importers, policymakers, financiers, logisticians, research institutions, and allied service providers to enhance transparency, efficiency, and resilience in the global rice trade.
“India is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of rice, supplying to over 172 countries. BIRC 2025 will serve as a platform for stakeholders to strengthen India’s presence in global food supply chains,” he added.
India produced around 150 million tonnes of rice in 2024–25, cultivated over 47 million hectares, accounting for nearly 28% of global rice output. Average yields have improved significantly—from 2.72 tonnes per hectare in 2014–15 to 3.2 tonnes per hectare in 2024–25—driven by improved seed varieties, modern farming techniques, and better irrigation infrastructure.
In FY25, India exported 20.1 million metric tonnes of rice valued at USD 12.95 billion, reaffirming its position as the world’s leading rice exporter.