Global Buyers Register in Large Numbers for Bharat International Rice Conference 2026

Ahead of the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026, the Indian Rice Exporters’ Federation (IREF) has announced that 3,317 international buyers from 138 countries have registered for the event. The data, recorded as of August 30, comes nearly two months prior to the three-day industry conference scheduled from October 23 to 25 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

Registrations indicate a wide geographical spread, drawing participants from neighbouring markets, Africa, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia. Bangladesh leads the country-wise registration count with 336 buyers, followed by Benin with 179 and Nigeria with 177. The United Arab Emirates has recorded 145 registrations, while Nepal and the Philippines have registered 137 each. Additional participation comes from Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, South Africa, Senegal, Iraq, Somalia, Guinea, Yemen, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Australia, Mali, Malaysia, Ghana, Angola, and Kenya.

Dev Garg, Vice President of IREF, noted that the high level of interest reflects the broad international market looking toward India. According to Garg, the primary objective is to convert this participation into tangible trade routes, new buyers, and sustained business relationships for Indian rice exporters.

To facilitate targeted engagement, the conference will feature an app-enabled B2B matchmaking platform. This system is designed to allow buyers, exporters, millers, and service providers to schedule meetings based on specific rice varieties, volumes, product specifications, and market needs, moving beyond general networking to commercially focused discussions.

Organisers highlight that expanding into diverse geographical regions can help Indian exporters reduce reliance on individual markets. This initiative builds on market-diversification efforts from the previous edition of the conference, which aimed to target potential rice-import markets estimated at ₹1.8 lakh crore.

BIRC 2026 will also feature nine business-focused knowledge sessions examining the 2027 global rice market outlook, crop surveys, price forecasting, new market opportunities, logistics, insurance, credit, shipping, quality standards, policy incentives, sustainability, and value-added milling products. Additionally, the event will launch the Rice Sector Vision 2047, alongside innovation reveals, an ambassadors' meet, and themed experience zones.

The conference will conclude on October 25 with a public-facing Rice Festival featuring culinary events curated by ITC Hotels, a master chef contest, influencer cook-offs, and sessions focused on starting a rice business.

"The scale of international registration for BIRC 2026 highlights the growing global demand for Indian agricultural commodities. For businesses and exporters in this sector, moving away from generalized networking toward app-enabled, data-driven B2B matchmaking is a practical step to secure long-term trade agreements. By actively diversifying into emerging markets across Africa, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia, Indian rice exporters can effectively mitigate single-market dependency and build sustainable revenue streams." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes