Source: BusinessLine
Context
Scientists at the Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops (MRCFC), Khudwani, under SKUAST-Kashmir, developed a fine grain aromatic rice variety for the Kashmir Valley — giving farmers an option to diversify into a higher-value paddy crop.
The Variety
- Named Shalimar Sugandh (Kashur Basmat)
- Development began in 2021; certified seed distributed to farmers in 2024
- Developed by Dr Najeeb-ul-Rehman Sofi, Professor and Associate Director, MRCFC
Important Facts for Exams
- Variety: Shalimar Sugandh (Kashur Basmat), by MRCFC Khudwani under SKUAST-Kashmir
- Basmati GI covers Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, 30 districts of western UP, and Jammu, Kathua and Samba in J&K
- J&K Basmati area: 46.13 thousand hectares
- SKUAST — Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology; separate universities at Srinagar (Kashmir) and Jammu
- Basmati GI was registered in 2016, held by APEDA; it is a registered GI, and Pakistan has contested India’s claim in the EU
- APEDA — Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, which regulates Basmati exports
- Basmati is India’s largest agricultural export by value among cereals
- A GI tag identifies goods originating from a defined territory with qualities attributable to that origin, under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
- Other J&K GIs: Kashmir Saffron, Kashmir Pashmina, Kashmir Walnut Wood Carving, Kashmir Papier Mâché, Basohli Painting
