Two Basmati Rice Varieties Help Boost Exports And Farmers’ Income

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s (IRAI) two Basmati rice varieties have contributed to 70 per cent of the total value of cumulative exports of long-grain aromatic rice from India from 2010-19.

The two varieties, namely: PB 1121 and PB 1509 were released by IARI in 2013.

About Rs 1.66 lakh crore of export earnings from the aforementioned time period were from the shipment of these two rice varieties.

The IARI's assessment says that Rs 1.34 lakh crore has been accrued as earnings by an approximate 10 lakh farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

“Improved Basmati varieties have brought prosperity to millions of Basmati farmers by improving their standards of living, better education for children and best health care for family members,” IARI director Ashok Kumar Singh was quoted by the Financial Express.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE and Yemen are the major destinations of Indian Basmati rice exports. In 2020-21, the country exported Basmati rice worth Rs 29849 crore.

The PB 1121 and PB 1509 varieties apparently cut down the use of pesticides significantly in the cultivation of Basmati rice.