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Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan on Friday said free trade agreements (FTAs) can help India strengthen its food exports and expand its presence in global markets, as the country looks to emerge as a global food basket by adding value to its agricultural produce.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026 in New Delhi, Paswan said India was pursuing trade agreements with various countries to strengthen export relationships and tap its potential in international markets. Paswan said, "Various countries are opening up spaces for us. We are having trade agreements with one after the other under the leadership of my Prime Minister.. the whole idea is to have a stronger export relationship with various countries and because India has that kind of potential. He also said India had the potential to meet its domestic food requirements and contribute to the food needs of other countries, with trade agreements playing an important role in expanding its global reach. "We're taking care of our hunger needs; we can take care of the hunger needs of various other countries. So, for that, these trade agreements are needed," he added. Paswan also stressed the need to move beyond increasing agricultural production and focus on value addition through food processing. He said India had prioritised production when it was a food-deficit nation, but the focus now needed to shift towards processing agricultural output and taking products to international markets. "We have that volume; now we need to add value to it and take this globally," the minister said. He highlighted India's diverse food products and said food processing could help the country make better use of its agricultural output and strengthen its position in international markets. He also referred to government initiatives such as production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes aimed at improving India's global presence. Paswan made the remarks at the BIRC 2026, which opened at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Friday. The three-day event, organised by the Indian Rice Exporters' Federation (IREF), brings together Indian rice exporters and international buyers to explore new markets, assess the global rice price outlook for 2027 and identify opportunities to improve returns across the industry. The conference has recorded 32,467 registrations, including 4,856 buyers from 153 countries. Its programme includes 65 speakers, nine knowledge sessions and 2,038 business-to-business meetings scheduled through its digital platform. Paswan said platforms such as the conference were important for the food processing and rice sectors, as they brought industry participants together to identify areas for improvement and support growth. He said stronger trade relationships, food processing and value addition could help India expand the global reach of its food products. (ANI)
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