Rice Policy Dialogue
Repurposing Rice Policies for Sustainable and Resilient Systems in India: Lessons and Priorities
March 7-8, 2026
IRRI South Asia Regional Center (ISARC), Varanasi, India

Day 1: March 7, 2026 (Saturday)

9:30 – 10:00 AM: Registration

10:00 – 10:10 AM: Welcome remarks by Dr. Yvonne Pinto (Director General, IRRI)

10:00 – 10:15 AM: Felicitation of dignitaries

10:15 – 12:30 PM: SESSION-1: OVERVIEW OF INDIA’S RICE SECTOR AND POLICY LANDSCAPE

10:15 – 10:45 AM: Keynote presentation
Dr. Ashok Gulati (Distinguished Professor, ICRIER)

10:45 – 12:15 PM: Panel Discussion – Future-Proofing India’s Rice Economy: Policy Choices for Sustainability
Moderator: Dr. Ashok Gulati (Distinguished Professor, ICRIER)
Panel:
Dr. KV Raju (Economic Advisor to Hon’ble Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh)
Dr. Sukhpal Singh (Chairman, Punjab State Farmers’ & Farm Workers’ Commission)
Dr. Sudha Narayanan (Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI)
Dr. GAK Kumar (Director, ICAR-CRRI)
Dr. Shiv Kumar (Director, ICAR-NIAP)

12:15 – 12:30 PM: Q & A

12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch

1:30 – 3:00 PM: INAUGURAL SESSION

1:30 – 2:40 PM: Welcome and Opening Addresses by Guest of Honours

2:40 – 2:50 PM: Remarks by Chair Dr. Yvonne Pinto (Director General, IRRI)

2:50 – 3:00 PM: Remarks by Chief Geust Dr. KV Raju (Economic Advisor to Hon’ble Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh)

3:00 – 3:30 PM: Group Photo and Tea Break

3:30 – 6:00 PM: SESSION 2- RICE MARKETS, TRADE AND RESOURCES

3:30 – 3:45 PM: The Role of India in International Rice Markets and Domestic Policy Implications – Dr. Alisher Mirzabaev (Senior Scientist, IRRI)

3:45 – 4:00 PM: Foresight Modelling of International Impacts India’s Rice Production and Trade – Dr. Shyam Basnet (Scientist, IRRI)

4:00 – 4:15 PM: Rice Production and Groundwater Use – Dr. Anton Urfels (Senior Scientist, IRRI)

4:15 – 4:30 PM: Challenges and Opportunities in Rice Export from India – Dr. Samarendu Mohanty (Director C-SAS, PJTSAU)

4:30 – 5:45 PM: Panel Discussion- Balancing Domestic Food Security, Trade Leadership and Resource Stewardship in India’s Rice Economy
Moderator: Dr. Alisher Mirzabaev (Senior Scientist, IRRI)
Panel:
Dr. Samarendu Mohanty (Director C-SAS, PJTSAU)
Dr. Aminou Arouna (Program leader – Policy Innovation Systems, AfricaRice)
Dr. Shalander Kumar (Cluster Leader – Markets, Institutions and Policy, ICRISAT)
Shri Vinita Sudhanshu (General Manager, APEDA)
Dr. Raka Saxena (Programme Director – Agriculture Policy, Niti Ayog)
Dr. Ashok Gulati (Distinguished Professor, ICRIER)

5:45 – 6:00 PM: Q & A

Day 2: March 8, 2026 (Sunday)

9:00 – 9:15 AM Recap of Day-1

9:15 – 11:20 AM: SESSION-3: EVIDENCE AND RATIONALE FOR DSR SCALING

9:15 – 9:40 AM: Keynote presentation (context setting) – Why direct seeded rice (DSR) for India, what holds it back, and way forward for large-scale adoption?
Dr. Virender Kumar (Research Director, SIRS, IRRI)

9:40 – 09:55 AM Presentation – Direct Seeded Rice in India: Emissions evidence and policy landscape – Dr. Reena Singh (Senior Fellow, ICRIER)

09:55 – 11:00 AM: Panel Discussion on scaling of DSR: Experience and perspectives
Panel:
Prof. Baldev Raj Kamboj (Vice Chancellor, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University)
Shri Ravinder (Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Agriculture Education & Research, Agriculture
Marketing, Agriculture Foreign Business & Export Promotion Dept., Government of Uttar Pradesh)
Mr. Giriraj Shah (Senior Programme Manager, ITC, Social Investments, Uttar Pradesh)
Mr. Rajdeep Singh (Manager, International Business, National Agro Industries)
Mr. Om Prakash Dubey (Service provider, UP)
Mr. Pritam Singh (Progressive Farmer, Haryana)

11:00 – 11:20 AM: Q & A

11:20 – 11:30 AM: Tea break

11:30 – 1:30 PM: SESSION 4- DSR SCALING FRAMEWORK: ENABLING POLICIES FOR LARGE SCALE ADOPTION

11:30 – 11:45 AM: Keynote presentation on Transforming Eastern India’s Rice-Wheat Landscape: Direct Seeded Rice as a Strategic Reform Agenda
Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, ISARC

11:45 – 12:00 PM Presentation on Role of Carbon market in scaling DSR
Dr. Sapana Pednekar (Policy Lead, Grow Indigo Private limited)

12:00 – 12:10 PM: Q & A

12:10 – 1:30 PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS: DISCUSSION ON WHITE PAPERS

12:10 – 12:20 PM: Guidelines and group formation for the Breakout sessions

12:20 – 1:30 PM:
1. North-Western IGP – Punjab and Haryana
2. Eastern IGP – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal
3. Central and Other Eastern States – Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand
4. Southern States – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana

1:30 – 2:30 PM: Lunch

2:30 – 3:10 PM: Report back by each group (presentation by each group)

3:10 – 3:30 PM: KEY TAKEAWAYS AND ACTION POINTS
Dr. Ashok Gulati (Distinguished Professor, ICRIER)
Dr. Virender Kumar (Research Director, SIRS, IRRI)

3:30 – 5:00 PM: CLOSING CEREMONY
3:30 – 3:45 PM: Felicitation and Welcome Remarks
3:45 – 4:10 PM: Closing Remarks by Guest of Honours
4:10 – 4:20 PM: Remarks by Chair
Dr. Yvonne Pinto (Director General, IRRI)

4:20 – 4:30 PM Remarks by Chief Guest
Shri Awanish Kumar Awasthi (Advisor to Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh)

4:30 – 5:00 PM Group photo and Departure