FSSAI specifies regulatory standards for Basmati Rice for first time; to be enforced from August 1

The standards are aimed at establishing fair practices in the trade of Basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally, government noted.

For the first time in the country, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Union health ministry on January 12 specified the identity standards for Basmati Rice (including Brown Basmati Rice, Milled Basmati Rice, Parboiled Brown Basmati Rice and Milled Parboiled Basmati Rice).

The standards will be enforced from August 1, 2023, according to a government statement.

As per these standards, Basmati rice shall possess natural fragrance characteristic of basmati rice and be free from artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances. These standards also specify various identity and quality parameters for basmati rice such as average size of grains and their elongation ratio after cooking; maximum limits of moisture, amylose content, uric acid, defective/damaged grains and incidental presence of other non-basmati rice etc.

"The standards are aimed at establishing fair practices in the trade of Basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally," the government further noted.

The notification comes after months after India decided to lift the ban on exports of organic non-basmati rice, including broken rice. In early September, 2022, the government had banned export of broken rice and had also slapped 20 percent customs duty on non-basmati rice in order to boost domestic availability and contain price rise.

Moreover, government in its notification, also stated that being a premium quality rice and fetching a price higher than the non-basmati varieties, Basmati rice is prone to various types of adulteration for economic gains which may include, among others, undeclared blending of other non-basmati varieties of rice. "Therefore, in order to ensure supply of standardised genuine Basmati rice in domestic and export markets, FSSAI has notified regulatory standards for Basmati rice that have been framed through extensive consultations with the concerned government departments / agencies and other stakeholders as well," it added.

Meanwhile, India's aromatic basmati and non-basmati rice exports rose 7.37 percent to 126.97 lakh tonnes during the April-October period of the current fiscal, despite restrictions on the shipments, according to industry data.

Exports stood at 118.25 lakh tonnes in the same period during the previous fiscal.