India's rice exports to 26 priority markets outpace 3-year average

India's rice exports to 26 priority markets exceeded their three-year average in the five months following the 2025 Bharat International Rice Conference, offering early signs that a strategy built around matching Indian rice varieties to local cuisines could help diversify demand in overseas markets.

Exports to the 26-market basket totalled Rs 23,476 crore and 4.79 million tonnes between November 2025 and March 2026, according to an analysis by the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) of Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics data covering Basmati and non-Basmati rice.

Export value was 1.1 per cent above the average for the corresponding November-March period in the previous three years, while volume was 5.6 per cent higher. Eleven of the 26 markets recorded year-on-year growth in both value and volume.

 

The results come as India seeks to broaden its rice export base amid substantial domestic availability, shifting the focus from simply finding markets for more grain to identifying specific varieties that can compete on suitability, consistency and culinary performance.

The strongest gains were recorded in several established and emerging destinations. Exports to the United Arab Emirates rose 65 per cent in value and 64 per cent in volume, while Belgium posted increases of 53.8 per cent and 44.5 per cent, respectively. Germany's export value rose 33.5 per cent, with volume up 24.6 per cent.

The United Kingdom recorded 26.9 per cent growth in value and 25.6 per cent in volume. South Africa's value rose 26 per cent, against a 42.9 per cent increase in volume, while Kenya posted respective gains of 22.3 per cent and 34.1 per cent.

The strongest gains were recorded in the UAE, where rice export value rose 65 per cent year on year to Rs 3,859.04 crore and volumes increased 64 per cent. Belgium followed with a 53.8 per cent rise in value and 44.5 per cent growth in volume, while Germany posted gains of 33.5 per cent and 24.6 per cent, respectively. France saw export value rise 31.3 per cent and volume 32.9 per cent, while shipments to the UK increased 26.9 per cent in value and 25.6 per cent in volume.

Growth was also strong across several African and other emerging markets. South Africa's export value rose 26 per cent, with volumes up 42.9 per cent, while Kenya recorded increases of 22.3 per cent and 34.1 per cent.

Mexico posted 22.1 per cent growth in export value and 50.9 per cent in volume. Exports to the Netherlands rose 20.5 per cent in value and 13.8 per cent in volume, while Canada recorded gains of 10.2 per cent and 9.1 per cent. Senegal saw a more modest 5.3 per cent increase in value but a 29.9 per cent jump in volume.

FROM SELLING RICE TO SELLING ITS APPLICATION

The trade data also highlights why export growth cannot be judged by volume alone. In Mexico, for example, shipments increased 50.9 per cent while export value rose 22.1 per cent. Kenya and South Africa likewise recorded substantially faster volume than value growth, underscoring differences in pricing, product mix and demand across markets.

That is driving a more targeted approach by the industry: rather than positioning rice solely as a commodity, exporters are seeking to demonstrate how individual Indian varieties can perform in dishes already familiar to consumers in potential destination markets.

The strategy will be expanded at the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026, scheduled for October 23-25 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

ITC Hotels will curate a Global Rice Festival featuring 24 international dishes and 10 regional Indian biryanis, with varieties selected according to characteristics including aroma, texture, starch content, grain length and absorption.

Among the planned pairings are UAE Machboos with Kalajeera, Italian Risotto Milanese with Gobindobhog, Nigerian Jollof Rice with Sona Masuri, Spanish Paella Valenciana with Mushk Budji, Chinese Yangzhou Fried Rice with Jeerakasala and Louisiana Jambalaya with Chak Hao White Rice.

The commercial premise is straightforward: demonstrating a grain in the dish for which it is intended can reduce the uncertainty associated with switching varieties.

For an overseas buyer, the proposition then becomes less about buying an interchangeable tonne of rice and more about securing a variety that delivers the required texture, aroma and cooking performance at a competitive price and with consistent supply.

EARLY SIGNS OF MARKET-SPECIFIC TRACTION

There are some indications that the approach may be gaining traction, although the trade data does not establish a causal link between the conference and subsequent export growth.

The United Kingdom, France and Mexico - all represented in the cuisine programme at BIRC 2025 - recorded combined export-value growth of 27.2 per cent and volume growth of 26.3 per cent during November 2025-March 2026.

Each reached its highest November-March export level in the four-year period examined.

Eight markets - the UAE, UK, Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Germany, France and Mexico - recorded four-year highs in both export value and volume.

Still, the post-conference data should be viewed as an indication of market traction rather than proof that BIRC drove the increase. Rice trade is influenced by a range of factors, including prices, inventories, currency movements, import policies, freight costs and broader demand conditions.

The more significant test will be whether market engagement translates into repeat orders and sustained demand for specific varieties.

TURNING FOOD DIPLOMACY INTO TRADE PROMOTION

BIRC 2026 will broaden that effort beyond exporters, millers and international buyers. Its programme includes a Master Chef Contest, Influencer Cook-off, Family Day and public tastings, bringing chefs, food creators and consumers into a trade conversation traditionally dominated by businesses and institutional buyers.

The objective is to create a longer demand chain: buyers can assess varieties commercially, chefs can evaluate their cooking characteristics, food creators can introduce them to consumers, and consumer acceptance can ultimately support repeat purchases.

That approach could be particularly important for non-Basmati rice, where competition based primarily on commodity pricing can make differentiation difficult.

India's large portfolio of rice varieties provides scope to segment exports around the functional requirements of particular cuisines rather than treating rice as a homogeneous product.

FROM TRADE CONFERENCE TO MARKET-DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM

The evolution of BIRC reflects that broader ambition. An EY post-conference impact assessment recognised BIRC 2025 as the world's largest-ever dedicated rice conference. The 2026 edition is expected to retain its international trade, buyer-seller and knowledge components while expanding the culinary programme as a bridge between business and consumer markets.

For India, the opportunity is not simply to increase the quantity of rice shipped overseas. It is to convert the country's diversity of varieties into differentiated market propositions.

A buyer in Japan, Europe, Africa or the Middle East may not necessarily need another generic source of rice. A potentially stronger proposition is a grain that performs reliably in a particular dish, is competitively priced and can be supplied consistently at scale.

The strategy also comes at a time when India has substantial rice production and needs to develop durable overseas demand rather than rely solely on conventional destination markets.

THE TEST BEGINS IN 2026

The success of the strategy will ultimately be measured not by the number of dishes presented at BIRC 2026, but by whether demonstrations result in contracts, repeat orders and deeper penetration in markets where consumers have traditionally preferred locally familiar varieties.

If that conversion takes place, India's rice export story could gradually shift from volume-led expansion towards application-led diversification.

BIRC 2026 is therefore being positioned as more than an industry gathering. It is an attempt to connect three parts of the rice value chain that are often treated separately: the exporter with the grain, the buyer controlling market access and the consumer whose food habits ultimately determine whether substitution succeeds.

For an industry seeking to absorb surplus production and expand exports, that could prove a more durable strategy than competing on price alone.

Bharat International Rice Conference 2026 will be held from October 23 to 25, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.