Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan suggests India to shift from volume

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Focus must shift to processing, quality, branding, traceability, sustainability and value addition, says the Food Processing Industries Minister

By BL New Delhi Bureau

Updated - October 23, 2026 at 06:54 PM. | New Delhi

File Photo: Union Minister Chirag Paswan | Photo Credit: ANI

Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday asked rice exporters and other stakeholders in India to move from volume to value after the country emerged as the world’s top rice producer. Asking exporters to deliberate on how India’s rice export could be further strengthened, he said as the world’s largest rice exporter with nearly 40 per cent share in global rice trade, India has major responsibility as well as opportunity.

Addressing the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) in New Delhi, organised by Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF), Paswan said that there is considerable scope to deepen the rice value chain - from paddy cultivation to the food reaches the dining table. He stressed on traceability, sustainability, quality certification, research and innovation in rice like any other processed product.

The country’s priority was food security and higher production for the last several decades after Independence, he said and added that with strong production capacity now, focus must shift to processing, quality, branding, traceability, sustainability and value addition.

The minister said that food processing would play a major role in achieving it, even as some sectors may be nearing saturation as the sector holds enormous untapped potential. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is working through its schemes to strengthen processing infrastructure, encourage innovation and expand value-added exports, he said.

In the food processing sector, the aim should be to cut import dependence and produce more machinery, equipment and technology domestically, he said, adding strengthening the link between farmers’ production and industries’ processing capabilities is essential for rural prosperity and industrial growth. He also highlighted India’s focus on free trade agreements with several countries to boost export and get access to advanced technologies.

Published on October 23, 2026

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