Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, has extended his warm greetings to the upcoming Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2025, describing it as a significant initiative to bring global attention to India’s growing leadership in the rice sector. This is the world’s largest rice conference that is going to be held on October 30–31 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Notably, it is being organised by the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and APEDA.
In a message sent to IREF, the minister lauded the transformation of India’s agriculture sector over the past decade, driven by what he called the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He noted that India is now well on its way to becoming the world’s third-largest economy, with the agricultural sector, and particularly rice playing a key role in this growth.
Responding to the message, Dr. Prem Garg, Chairman of Shri Lal Mahal Group and National President of IREF, said the minister’s words are an encouraging signal of the industry’s progress and the government’s support for agricultural exports.
“Minister Sonowal’s encouragement strengthens our resolve to not only boost rice exports, but also build a future-ready, sustainable rice economy that can nourish the world,” said Dr. Garg.
Additonally, the minister also pointed to major improvements in port capacity, shipping infrastructure, and logistics that have helped streamline the movement of agricultural goods from farms to international markets. He stressed the role of the maritime sector in powering the ‘Make in India’ mission and boosting India’s global trade footprint.
With BIRC 2025 expected to draw participants from across the global rice value chain, including farmers, exporters, researchers, policymakers, and buyers, the event is seen as a timely platform to explore new opportunities for growth, innovation, and sustainability in the sector.
“India has shown that it can not only feed its own people, but also support food security across the globe,” the minister added. He expressed confidence that the conference would play a key role in advancing India’s vision for a Viksit Bharat by 2047.