Stakeholders to discuss rice reforms at two-day dialogue

Varanasi: The IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), in partnership with the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), will convene a high-level policy dialogue on ‘Repurposing Rice Policies for Sustainable and Resilient Systems in India: Lessons and Priorities', on March 7 and 8.The two-day event will bring together various stakeholders, including senior govt officials, policymakers, researchers, development partners, private-sector representatives, and farmers, to review India's current rice policy landscape and deliberate on forward-looking reforms. The dialogue will feature participation from senior officials of the Govt of Uttar Pradesh, including the advisors to the chief minister, agricultural production commissioner, and the principal secretary. Sudhanshu Singh, director, ISARC, said that the dialogue will provide a platform for informed deliberations on reform pathways, with key discussions focusing on rice markets and trade, environmental sustainability, and strategies to scale climate-resilient technologies such as Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), which has the potential to reduce water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, lower production costs, and enhance system resilience. The programme will feature keynote presentations, expert panel discussions, and stakeholder consultations aimed at strengthening evidence-based policymaking and fostering institutional alignment to support sustainable rice-based systems nationwide.