Scientists at IARI have red-flagged the illegal cultivation of high-yielding Pusa Basmati varieties in Pakistan | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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  • IARI scientists have raised objections and called for action against Pakistan as it has officially registered India’s high-yielding Pusa Basmati varieties and also cultivating the same illegally. 

 

  • These varieties, originally developed by IARI, include:
    • Pusa Basmati-1121 (PB-1121) known for the extra kernel length of its grains. 
    • PB-1509, which matures in 115-120 days as against the 135-145 days of other high-yielding basmati varieties. 
    • PB-1847, PB-1885 and PB-1886 (all improved versions of PB-1509) have resistance to bacterial blight and rice blast fungal disease.

 

  • Legal protection 
    • All the varieties are notified under the Seeds Act, of 1966. 
      • The Act prohibits the export and import of seeds of notified kinds or varieties for sowing or planting 
    • They are also registered under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001. 
      • This Act allows only Indian farmers to sow, save, re-sow, exchange or share the seeds of any protected/registered varieties.
      • The Act also enumerate breeder’s rights.

 

  • Basmati rice export from India
    • India is the leading exporter of Basmati Rice in the world. 
    • Major Export destinations are Saudi Arab, Iran, Iraq, U.A.E and Yemen where consumers want parboiled rice.                 
      • Parboiled rice has harder grains and is less susceptible to breakage on cooking for long.

 

About Basmati Rice

  • Also known as ‘scented Pearl’, Basmati is a long-grain aromatic rice variety grown for many centuries mainly in the Himalayan foothills.
    • Currently, it is cultivated in the states of J & K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh.
  • They require prolonged sunshine, high humidity and assured water supply. 
  • So far 34 varieties of Basmati rice have been notified under the seeds Act, 1966.
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