Ziraat Times Team Report
Srinagar: India is preparing to leverage its rich rice diversity to tap into a potential Rs 1.80 lakh crore in new global import markets, with the upcoming Bharat International Rice Conference (BIRC) 2025 serving as the launchpad for a major export drive. The focus will be on aligning India’s specialty rice varieties with international cuisines, raising a critical question: Is Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) ready to showcase its new rice varieties on this global stage, and has the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKAUST) done enough to translate its innovations into commercial success?
The two-day conference, scheduled for October 30-31, 2025, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, is a joint initiative of the Department of Commerce, APEDA, and the Indian Rice Exporters’ Federation (IREF). It aims to secure ₹ 25,000 crore in export Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and position India as a resilient leader in the global rice supply chain.
J&K in the global showcase
J&K is a key participant, with a dedicated Union Territory Pavilion planned to highlight its Geographical Indication (GI) and specialty rice varieties. The official BIRC document specifically names Mushk Budji rice, a renowned aromatic landrace, as a suggested Indian variety to match international dishes like Nasi Ayam (Malaysia/Singapore) and Sushi/Donburi (Japan). This strategic pairing points to a deliberate national push to market J&K’s unique rice heritage globally.
The GI tag for Mushk Budji, coupled with its inclusion in the exhibition’s culinary zone, signals high-level support for its market expansion. Furthermore, reports indicate that a Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO) in Sagam, Anantnag, focused on Mushk Budji, has acquired an import and export license with support from NABARD, directly enabling its global market access.
SKAUST’s role: Innovation vs. commercialization
SKAUST, with its dual campuses in Srinagar and Jammu, has been at the forefront of rice research, having developed several high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties.
On the innovation front, SKUAST has a strong record: SKUAST-Kashmir has championed the revival of the aromatic Mushk Budji and developed varieties like Shalimar Rice-4 (SR-4), which has shown significantly higher yields (81 q/ha) and better returns compared to traditional practices, leading to a substantial horizontal spread in areas like Kupwara. It also played a crucial role in securing the GI tag for Mushk Budji.
SKUAST-Jammu has developed high-yielding Basmati varieties like Jammu Basmati 118 and Jammu Basmati 123, which reportedly meet all international export standards and offer a 15-25% yield superiority over older Basmati checks.
However, the question of commercial success and scale-up remains open for debate:
Disease Vulnerability: The revival of traditional varieties like Mushk Budji has been constantly challenged by the variety’s high susceptibility to rice blast disease. While SKAUST-K has led efforts for screening and awareness, reports highlight that traditional farmers’ aversion to fungicide sprays has hindered successful disease containment and consistent production.
Adoption Rate: While high-yielding varieties like SR-4 show strong on-field success and adoption in key pockets, the broader, uniform commercial success across the Union Territory, especially in alignment with the scale required for $\text{₹}1.80$ lakh crore international market redirection, is a matter of ongoing effort.
Export-Readiness Beyond Basmati: While the new Jammu Basmati varieties are explicitly designed for export, the success of GI and specialty varieties like Mushk Budji in tapping new international markets hinges on organized processing, branding, and consistent quality—challenges that the newly formed FPO and governmental support are just beginning to address.
The BIRC 2025 will be a critical litmus test, providing J&K a high-visibility platform to prove not just the quality of its innovations, but the robustness of its commercial and agricultural ecosystem to deliver on global export commitments.
Key jighlights of BIRC 2025
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Global Participation: Foreign Ministers from the Philippines, Ghana, Namibia, and The Gambia are slated to attend.
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Technology Launch: India’s first AI-based sorting technology, which segregates grains based on colour, shape, size, and structure, will be unveiled.
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Market Target: $\text{₹}1.80$ lakh crore target for new import markets by demonstrating Indian varieties as high-performance substitutes in 26 countries.
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Sustainability Focus: Deliberations will centre on sustainable cultivation, a critical issue given rice’s resource-intensive nature.
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Stakeholder Integration: The event will feature a Women Entrepreneur, Startup, and MSME Pavilion, along with farmer training sessions by ICAR and IRRI on climate-smart farming.
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