Why Basmati getting endorsed by Govt. rather than Joha, Gobindobhog, and Kalanamak?

The long grain Basmati, popular in every north Indian kitchen for Biryanis and Pulao, has been endorsed by govt. since 1960s. Not only this, but it has also gained traction in the kitchens of all around the world. Undoubtedly, it has emerged as one of the major export items of our country. Basmati can be found in majority of the Indian kitchens due to its easy availability and affordability.

Nonetheless, the aromatic Basmati has sustained its position in Indian food menu, the other varieties of rice such as Joha from Assam, Bengal’s Gobindobhog, and UP’s Kalanamak, hold enough potential to give a firm competition to the Basmati.

Notably, the threat of low margins is looming over the India’s rich rice varieties
State govt. should promote these other varieties of rice by marketing them to the places where they have been frequently used. Eventually. it will contribute in strengthening the roots of Indian agricultural sector. Moreover, the fragrance of these rice varieties will expand globally except Basmati which is highly recognised across the world, as suggested by experts.

If we turned on to the other varieties of rice, we could found that the West Bengal’s Gobindobhog is the first preference of Bengali kitchens for a rice pudding called kheer. The rice variety takes around 6 months to get ready in the farms of West Bengal.
The shop owner of Basudev store located in New Delhi ‘s CR park, told us that he have at least 15 non-Bengali customers who come to him regularly for Gobindobhog rice. Moreover, the attraction and use of gobindobhog rice have gone up over the years.

Apart from Gobindobhog, other rice varieties such as Joha from Assam, Bengal’s Gobindobhog, and UP’s Kalanamak are waiting to establish their position in the global market which only need Govt.’s promotion for this purpose.

 Kalanamak preferred for light spiced dishes where as Joha used in pigeon meat and duck curry, actually flowers its aroma in Kheer during festivities. 
Interestingly, these folk rice varieties have been garnering the support of food vloggers and social media influencers in the social media landscape.

Aggregate Enclosure of Basmati and Non-basmati in India

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 2023-24, India's aggregate Basmati enclosure was 47.8 million hectares approximately in 2023-24. In addition to that, the projections signal a rise to 49 million hectares in 2024-25,

Covering an estimated 2.88 million hectares of land, Basmati rice is cultivated in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and western Uttar Pradesh, showing a 30 percent hike since 2020 directed by robust export demand.

Additionally, according to the estimates from the Unified Portal for Agricultural Studies, Basmati contributes around 60 percent of the rice export value of the country. However, it  accounts for less than 7 percent of aggregate rice production of India that has stood at around 8.5 million tonnes for 2023-24

Figures from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has shown that other significant varieties of aromatic rice such as Kalanamak (Uttar Pradesh), Joha (Assam), Tulaipanji and Gobindobhog (West Bengal), and Ambemohar (Maharashtra) span an estimated 0.5 to 1 million hectares, stretching one a third of Basmati.

Category	Export Volume (MT)	Export Value (INR Cr)	Export Value (USD Bn)
Basmati	5.24 million	Rs 48,389 crore	$5.84 billion
Non-Basmati	11.12 million	Rs 7,804 crore	$4.57 billion
Total	16.36 million	Rs 6,193 crore	$10.41 billion

According to APEDA, 45 varieties of Basmati rice have been notified under The Seeds Act, 1966.

As per data given by India APEDA and the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), in FY 2023–24, India exported11.12 million tonnes of non-Basmati rice worth Rs 37,804 crore ($4.57 billion), while 5.24 million tonnes of Basmati rice worth Rs 48,389 crore ($5.84 billion) totalling 16.36 million tonnes of rice exports.
Furthermore, other aromatic rice varieties like Joha or Kalanamak, is  evaluated to be a small fraction of the total non-Basmati aromatic rice exports.


Endorsing Basmati Rice

In 1990s, a global demand of Basmati, had changed it into a significant major item. Originally, it had been grown in Indo-Gangetic plains, and consumed domestically. The endorsement on Basmati rice is based on its cultural roots, high export value, and the need for legal protection.
Both private and govt. sector made efforts to popularise Basmati. Notably,  A mission mode had been conducted by the govt. for its promotion since 1960’s.
The exports of Basmati rice has been regulated through Minimum Export Price (MEP) norms. Furthermore, the exports have been boosted by the increment in the demands from Middle East and expat communities. Notably, Massive support has been extended by APEDA offering global compliance, branding, and logistics.
The data of food delivery apps such as Swiggy shown that it has recorded  2.5 biryani orders per second while Zomato has received 100 million orders in the year. The further boom has been blown by the retail trends.
Taking a look at India’s Basmati Market that is around at Rs 495 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach Rs 537 billion by 2033, will amaze us. Ready-to-cook biryani kits and blended spice packs have left no stone unturned in strengthening Basmati’s positon in Indian household.

Basmati Rice, attaining the position of  top agri-exports,  has literally increased Farmer’s income, expanded opportunities for rural jobs and proving that how a conventional crop maintained a firm positon worldwide with a right legal and policy push.

About the other varieties of Rice
Other aromatic rice varieties, like Gobindobhog, Kalanamak, Joha, and Tulaipanji, are not able to gather the instutional support and market linkages, despite its integration with cultural roots.
The farmers of Assam are promoting the cultivation of Joha and Kola Joha since soil do not endorse Basmati’s cultivation. Moreover, Local conditions and cultural preferences are also significant reasons behind the cultivation of traditional crops.
UP’s  Kalanamak with the enclosure rising from 10,000–15,000 hectares in 2018 to up to 50,000 hectares by 2024, has witnessed a revival through GI status in 2013 and the ODOP scheme

Evidently, stronger marketing organic certification, and focused policy push can raise the positions of these varieties of rice domestically as well as globally.

Professor Ramchet Chaudhary, a long-time advocate of the variety says ” Kalanamak rice is gaining traction like never before since its demand is increasing in the US, the UAE, and the UK, where it sells for up to 300 per kg on Amazon. Additionally, the protein is higher in Kalanamak which is 11% other than Basmati carrying only 6%. However, it still needs recognition.
Furthermore, Hazarika, former Director of the Assam Seed and Organic Certification Agency asserted: “No national push has been offered to Assame short-grain aromatic rice varieties such as Joha and Kola Joha. Not only this, but the Export support, branding and Marketing are also missing”.  

Govt. support to Basmati and other rice varieties

As per brief analysis of Om Prakash Mehra, India earn around Rs 50,000 crore annually through Basmati exports. The position of other varieties of rice has been surpassed by Basmati. Ultimately, the successive govt. is unjust to them.

An agricultural expert suggested that to make export of Basmati Rice easier, it would be assigned to Harmonized System Nomenclature code. Furthermore, he asserted that the price of these other rice varieties is higher than Basmati. However, some of the rice varieties have been discovered by Indians who were not familiar with these varieties earlier.

Remaining optimistic regarding the progress results of other rice varieties from private and govt. sector, Professor Ramchet Chaudhary says: “From our own home, we exported 400 quintals to the US”.Nevertheless, these rice varieties lack organised govt. support.

No doubt, Basmati holds the potential of absorbing the aroma of Indian spices without being mushy in Biriyanis and Pulaos but other rice varieties are also in the list of hitting traditional Indian cuisines like Kheer and savour curries etc. Consequently, these rice varieties need better policy, strong promotional strategies to expand their popularity globally in comparison to Basmati.