Five new Basmati varieties, developed by a group of scientists from Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), in 2020 and 2021 are all set to bring revolutionary changes in the way this type of paddy is cultivated in the country.

About Basmati Rice

• Basmati, pronounced is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which is traditionally grown in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
• As of 2019, India accounted for 65% of the international trade in basmati rice, while Pakistan accounted for the remaining 35%.
• Many countries use domestically grown basmati rice crops; however, basmati is geographically exclusive to certain districts of India and Pakistan.
• India accounts for over 70% of the world’s basmati rice production.
• The areas which have a geographical indication are in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir

Export potential of Basmati

• Basmati rice has a market abroad and brings about ₹30,000 crore in foreign exchange every year.
• While 75% of the export is to West Asian countries, European Union countries also import Indian Basmati.
• However, recently, the export to EU countries faced certain hurdles due to the increase in the pesticide residue levels in the rice from India.

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