Registrations for the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026 have crossed 19,193, including 2,135 international buyer registrations, nearly three months ahead of the event, reflecting strong interest from the global rice industry in the conference’s second edition.
Organised by the Indian Rice Exporters’ Federation (IREF), BIRC 2026 will be held from October 23 to 25 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The organisers expect participation from more than 30,000 delegates representing over 120 countries, making it one of the largest international gatherings of the rice sector.
The registration milestone comes after the inaugural edition of BIRC in 2025, which EY’s postconference assessment recognised as the world’s largest dedicated rice conference by scale and participation. The previous edition brought together 10,854 participants, including 1,083 international buyers from more than 90 countries, and facilitated trade commitments estimated at ₹33,453 crores, covering 8.63 million metric tonnes of rice.
The continued rise in registrations indicates growing global interest in India as the world’s largest rice producer and exporter and reflects the increasing need for a dedicated platform where the entire ecosystem can engage with the industry’s emerging opportunities and challenges.
Unlike conventional trade exhibitions, BIRC brings together business networking, market intelligence, policy discussions and knowledge-sharing on a single platform. The conference is designed to help participants understand changing trade trends, strengthen business partnerships and identify new opportunities across the global rice value chain.
The 2026 edition will introduce several new initiatives aimed at strengthening business decisionmaking across the industry. These include a coordinated global crop survey and projecting future prices based on expected global demand and supply of rice. The conference will also feature business-focused knowledge sessions, app-enabled B2B meetings and curated experience zones highlighting the evolution, innovation and global significance of rice. Detailed announcements on these initiatives will be made in the coming weeks.
According to the organisers, the objective is to build BIRC into a long-term global platform that supports trade, knowledge exchange and collaboration across the international rice ecosystem while reinforcing India’s leadership in the sector.
“When we launched BIRC last year, our objective was to create a common platform where the global rice industry could meet, exchange ideas and build long-term business relationships. The response to the second edition indicates that the industry sees value in such a platform. We remain focused on creating practical business outcomes while strengthening India’s position in global rice trade,” said Dev Garg, Vice President, IREF.
Registrations for BIRC 2026 remain open. The organisers expect participation to continue growing in the weeks leading up to the conference.
About BIRC
The Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) is a global platform dedicated exclusively to the rice sector. Organised by the Indian Rice Exporters’ Federation (IREF), the conference brings together stakeholders from across the rice value chain, including exporters, importers, millers, traders, policymakers, researchers, logistics companies, financial institutions and technology providers to discuss trade, policy, innovation and emerging market opportunities.
