Development of a Superior Aromatic Paddy Variety for the Kashmir Valley

09-Sep-2026 08:01 PM

Srinagar: The Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops, Khudwani, has developed a new variety of aromatic paddy with superior grain quality for the Kashmir Valley, offering farmers a lucrative option for producing high-value rice. This research centre operates under the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. Efforts to develop this new variety began in 2021, and following a series of trials, the distribution of certified seeds to farmers in the Kashmir Valley commenced in 2024, enabling them to initiate commercial cultivation.

It is noteworthy that while this new paddy variety is nearly comparable to Basmati in terms of appearance and quality, it cannot currently be classified as Basmati because it was developed for cultivation outside the traditional Basmati-growing regions.

It is important to note that in India, only long-grain aromatic rice produced in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and two specific districts of Kashmir is recognized as Basmati. Since the newly developed Kashmiri variety is being cultivated in districts other than the two designated Basmati-growing ones, it is not classified as Basmati rice; however, it commands a higher price than standard non-Basmati rice varieties.