India must shift from rice production to value addition, improve traceability and sustainability: Chirag Paswan

New Delhi [India], October 23 (ANI): Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan on Friday called for greater value addition, research and technological innovation in India's rice sector, saying the country must move beyond high production volumes to improve product quality and strengthen its position in global markets. Addressing the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026 in New Delhi, Paswan said India had established a strong production base but needed to focus more on areas such as traceability, sustainability and processing to realise the sector's full potential. "Since we have that volume with us, value is what we need to talk about. Since we have that production with us, product is what we need to emphasize on," he said, highlighting the need to develop higher-value products from agricultural output. Paswan said India accounted for nearly 40 per cent of global rice trade, making it important to strengthen exports through better quality, research and the exchange of technology with other countries. He said the rice industry needed to examine how machinery and technology used across the value chain, from paddy cultivation to processing, could be manufactured domestically. This would support the government's broader push for domestic manufacturing and reduce dependence on imported technology, he added. The minister said food processing would play a major role in India's ambition to become a developed nation by 2047. He noted that the country's earlier focus had been on increasing food production when India faced shortages, but the next stage should place greater emphasis on processing and value creation. "I genuinely believe that this is one sector which still lacks the kind of emphasis which we could have done over the years," Paswan said, referring to food processing. He said the government's objective was to position India as a global food basket, meeting domestic requirements while also supplying food to other countries. Trade agreements could help Indian businesses expand exports while gaining access to international technology and best practices, he added. Paswan also urged conference organisers to share the discussions, suggestions and policy recommendations emerging from the event with his ministry. The three-day BIRC 2026 brings together farmers, exporters, industry representatives and researchers to discuss the rice sector. Paswan said the interaction could help identify areas for improvement and support the industry's growth. He said stronger collaboration, technological adoption and greater value addition would be important for improving the competitiveness of India's food processing industry and expanding its reach in global markets. (ANI)