Indian Rice Exporters Urged to Strengthen Traceability and Pesticide Management to Curb International Rejections

Indian rice exporters need to strengthen farm-level pesticide management, traceability and testing across the supply chain to reduce shipment rejections in international markets, industry participants said at the Bharat International Rice Conference 2026. Experts warned during the event that failures in quality compliance can damage exporters' profitability and India's reputation globally.

During a panel discussion on rice export quality and certification, representatives of testing laboratories, inspection agencies, and exporters agreed that preventing contamination at the source and ensuring compliance with destination-specific requirements are essential to addressing the problem.

Speaking at the conference, Poorvi Shah, Head of Food Testing Services at SGS India, highlighted the need for food safety assurance throughout the supply chain, stating that the industry must move from a model of testing and reacting to one of anticipating and preventing.

Data presented by Mirza Alam, Vice-President of AHK Group, indicated that an analysis of rice shipment rejections in European markets during the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26 showed pesticide residues accounted for 69 per cent of rejections. Aflatoxins and other mycotoxins accounted for the remaining 23 per cent.

Addressing the root causes of contamination, Anand Sharma, Senior Manager at EAS, called for a farm-to-port traceability system to identify sources of contamination and establish accountability across the supply chain. Sharma noted that a residue finding alone does not prove pesticide misuse, and the root cause must be established through documented evidence and investigation into other possible sources. He added that exporters need to link pesticide application records, crop histories, supplier details and laboratory findings to determine whether consignments meet importing country requirements.

Dr Pankaj Jaiminy, Managing Director of Eurofins Analytical Services India, emphasized that addressing pesticide-related rejections requires solutions at the farmer level, alongside faster testing facilities and improved crop varieties. He cited mobile testing laboratories near agricultural mandis as a practical way to identify compliant paddy before procurement, noting that rejections will not decrease unless farmers are provided with risk mitigation solutions.

Avinash Maheshwari, CEO of GEO-CHEM LAB, stated that quality checks must begin before procurement and continue through milling, sampling, and shipment. He also stressed the importance of carefully checking buyer specifications alongside regulatory requirements.

The financial impact on businesses was also addressed during the sessions. Isha Garg, Director of VI Exports, highlighted the burden of repeated testing and certification, noting that discrepancies between laboratory results can delay shipments and compress exporters' already narrow margins.

To tackle these logistical and tracking challenges, Sandeep Patankar, National Head of Sales and Marketing at SGS India, pointed to QR-code-enabled traceability as an effective method to track consignments and pinpoint the exact source of quality failures.

Ultimately, the discussion underscored the necessity of coordinated action among farmers, millers, exporters, and testing agencies to protect the credibility and market standing of Indian rice in global trade.

"The challenges highlighted in the international rice trade underline a critical lesson for businesses across sectors: proactive quality control at the source is far more sustainable than reactive testing at the finish line. For Indian exporters and agricultural startups, investing in robust farm-to-port traceability systems and localized testing infrastructure is no longer optional. Ensuring transparency and compliance will protect profit margins, build long-term buyer trust, and safeguard India's competitive edge in global markets." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes