Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan has called for greater value addition, research and technological innovation in country’s rice sector. Addressing the Bharat International Rice Conference in New Delhi, the Minister said that the country must move beyond high production volumes to improve product quality and strengthen its position in global markets. He said that India has established a strong production base but needs to focus more on areas such as traceability, sustainability and processing to realise the rice sector’s full potential.
Mr Paswan noted that the country 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. The Minister said that food processing would play a major role in country’s ambition to become a developed nation by 2047. Mr Paswan said that this three day event will bring together farmers, exporters, industry representatives and researchers to discuss the rice sector. He said that interaction could help identify areas for improvement and support the industry’s growth.
