India’s rice exports to 26 priority markets rise despite trade headwinds

India's rice exports to 26 priority overseas markets have registered growth despite pricing pressures, freight costs and changing import policies, offering early signs of progress in the country's push to diversify its export destinations. Exports to the 26-market basket reached 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) based on official trade data.

Compared with the average for the corresponding five-month period over the preceding three years, export value was 1.1 per cent higher while volumes increased 5.6 per cent. Eleven of the 26 markets recorded year-on-year increases in both value and volume.

UAE leads growth

The UAE emerged as the strongest-performing market, recording a 65 per cent year-on-year increase in the value of Indian rice imports and a 64 per cent rise in volume.

Belgium recorded a 53.8 per cent increase in value and 44.5 per cent growth in volume, while exports to Germany rose 33.5 per cent in value and 24.6 per cent in volume.

Other markets also registered substantial gains. Export value to France increased 31.3 per cent, followed by the UK at 26.9 per cent, South Africa at 26 per cent, Kenya at 22.3 per cent, Mexico at 22.1 per cent, the Netherlands at 20.5 per cent and Canada at 10.2 per cent.

The 26 countries were identified as priority markets as part of an effort to increase India's share in destinations where competing rice-exporting countries have traditionally enjoyed a stronger presence. The basket includes markets such as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico and China.

India exported more than 20 million tonnes of rice in 2024-25 and supplies the commodity to more than 170 countries, making it the world's largest rice exporter. However, exporters are increasingly looking beyond overall volumes towards widening the geographical and product base of shipments.

Cuisine-led export strategy

The export push is also shifting towards matching particular Indian rice varieties with the requirements of different cuisines rather than competing primarily on price.

The strategy showed encouraging results following last year's Bharat International Rice Conference. The UK, France and Mexico, which participated in its cuisine programme, recorded combined growth of 27.2 per cent in export value and 26.3 per cent in volume between November 2025 and March 2026.

The approach seeks to showcase differences among Indian varieties based on characteristics such as aroma, texture, starch content, grain length and absorption, allowing exporters to position them for particular dishes and consumer preferences.

BIRC 2026 in October

The Bharat International Rice Conference 2026, scheduled for October 23-25 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, will seek to take this strategy further by bringing together overseas buyers, exporters and other stakeholders.

As part of the event, ITC Hotels will curate a Global Rice Festival featuring 24 international dishes and 10 regional Indian biryanis. Indian rice varieties will be selected for the dishes according to their cooking characteristics.

The conference is expected to attract delegates from more than 120 countries and around 30,000 stakeholders during its business days. It will include buyer-seller interactions, experience zones and a consumer-focused food festival.

The broader programme will also focus on rice varieties and GI-tagged products, processing and packaging, technology, quality compliance, traceability, sustainable cultivation and value addition as India seeks to convert its dominance in global rice volumes into a more diversified and durable export market.