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The next major opportunity for India’s rice industry could lie beyond selling grain in convenience foods, edible oils, specialised ingredients and industrial materials. The Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2026, being held from 23–25 October at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, will examine these opportunities through its session, “Beyond Raw Rice: The Next Billion-Dollar Opportunity.” The session will conclude with an announcement identifying the most promising value-added products based on an IREF–EY assessment.  Published market estimates illustrate the scale of the opportunity. Grand View Research projects the global rice-noodle market to grow from $6.4 billion in 2024 to $11 billion by 2030 an increase of approximately $4.6 billion in annual market value. Asia-Pacific accounted for 63.4 per cent of market revenue in 2024, providing a geographical starting point for businesses evaluating product development and market entry. For rice millers, rice bran oil presents another substantial opportunity. Grand View Research forecasts the global market to expand from $4.8 billion in 2023 to $6.3 billion by 2030. Separately, NITI Aayog’s 2024 edible-oil report estimated India’s rice-bran-oil potential at 1.9 million tonnes, including 850,000 tonnes, 8.5 lakh tonnes, then untapped. This gives the session a concrete resource estimate against which to examine processing investment and additional value from milling.  Specialised ingredients will also feature prominently. The global rice-protein market is projected by Grand View Research to increase from $168.5 million in 2023 to $281.4 million by 2030, approximately 67 per cent growth. BIRC will examine rice protein alongside rice flour and functional starches, focusing on customer specifications, processing requirements and commercially viable production.  The opportunities extend beyond food. Grand View Research projects the rice-husk-ash-based silica market to more than double from $640.6 million in 2025 to approximately $1.41 billion by 2033, with rubber and tyres accounting for 40 per cent of revenue in 2025. Industrial adoption is already evident: Goodyear announced the use of silica derived from waste rice husk ash in its 2025 European truck-racing tyres.  The session will organise the discussion around three routes: Better Product, covering premium, speciality and differentiated rice; Better Consumer Offering, including ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals, noodles, snacks and convenience packs; and Better Utilisation, examining bran oil, flour, protein, starch, husk-derived products and bioenergy. Additional rice-derived streams will include sake (rice wine) and ethanol. According to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, Japanese sake exports reached ¥45.9 billion in 2025, up approximately 6 per cent year on year, demonstrating a separate beverage-market pathway for rice value addition. “The next opportunity is not simply to export more tonnes of rice, but to earn more value from each tonne. A miller, an exporter and an ingredient manufacturer will need different pathways. At BIRC 2026, we want to distinguish attractive market forecasts from businesses that can actually be built-identifying the products, buyers, investment requirements and partnerships that can turn potential into commercial growth,” said Rajeev Setia (President, Basmati), speaking on behalf of the Indian Rice Exporters’ Federation (IREF). The IREF–EY assessment will compare demand, achievable margins, investment requirements, processing yields, market access and export potential. It will distinguish global market growth from the share Indian businesses could realistically capture, and higher selling prices from profitability after processing costs. The concluding “Next Billion-Dollar Opportunity in Rice” announcement will identify the most promising products and explain their commercial rationale, target markets and practical entry routes giving businesses a roadmap for where to invest, partner or pilot.

Source : msn