Weakening gene pool: PUSA 1121 variety basmati to go off platter
In its place, scientists are promoting a new variety – PUSA 1885, which, they say, has all the qualities of the former and stronger resistance to pests; basmati exporters, however, are not too pleased. They say they have spent too much on branding and marketing the 1121 variety and convincing the importers to adopt the new, improved versions will be difficult.
The iconic premium variety basmati PUSA 1121, known for its extra-long grain length and aroma, which has been the top choice for growers, exporters and rice-eaters across the globe, is set to be phased out. The reason: Its gene pool is said to have weakened, making it highly prone to pest attacks, which in turn forces farmers to use large quantities of chemicals for its cultivation.
In its place, scientists are promoting a new variety – PUSA 1885, which, they say, has all the qualities of the former and stronger resistance to pests.
Basmati exporters, however, are not too pleased. They say they have spent too much on branding and marketing the 1121 variety and convincing the importers to adopt the new, improved versions will be difficult.
India exports basmati worth ₹40,000 crore every year to North American countries, such as USA and Canada, besides the Middle East and European countries, of which Punjab contributes about 40%. The 1121 variety is also a household name among rice-eaters in the Northern Indian states.
In Punjab, the premium grain is grown over 12 lakh acres while in Haryana, it is grown over 13 lakh acres.
The Indian agricultural research institute (IARI), an arm of Indian council for agricultural research (ICAR), has announced that the PUSA 1121, it introduced in 2003, is no longer advised to be cultivated as its gene pool has weakened and lost susceptibility to pest attacks, particularly the neck-blast, forcing growers to resort to heavy sprays of fungicide tricyclazole.
“PUSA 1885 is the new alternative to 1121 as all its characteristics such as aroma, grain length, off-white colour and best-cooking results have been retained while adding resistance to the pest attacks,” said IARI director AK Singh. The use of agrochemical will be cut drastically on new varieties, he assured.
New variety beneficial for farmers
Counting its benefits, Singh said the new varieties will help farmers save at least ₹3,000 per acre, as they will no longer have to spend on pesticides. Besides, the increased yield of four-to-seven quintals will also bring additional benefit.
He informed that to promote the new varieties, kisan sampark yatras were held across the basmati growing states - Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, and farmers were given seed packets of a kilogram each, for trial purposes. “One kilogram of trial seeds can be multiplied to 500-800 kilograms. I suggest the entire produce be used in cultivation,” adds Singh.
It is pertinent to mention that in the past, basmati consignments from India were rejected as traces of tricyclazole were found in some of the lots. The importing nations have made stricter norms to check the grain lots coming from India.
Two other basmati varieties PUSA 1401 and PUSA 1509 have also been replaced by PUSA 1847 and PUSA 1886.
“All three new varieties are resistant to pests and give 20% more yield than their older versions,” informed Singh, who is hopeful that the farmers would grow new varieties.
“In my opinion, the acronym for the new varieties should have been similar such as ‘Super PUSA1121’ so that there is no confusion among the buyers,” suggested Ashok Sethi, a director with the basmati exporters association. Sudden change in name may impact the sales, adversely, he apprehended.
Vijay Setia, an exporter of basmati, said the new varieties would prove beneficial to farmers because of its higher yield and resistance to pests. Appreciating the research efforts by the IARI, Setia said, “The exporters would be able market the new varieties and users, particularly the importers, can be made aware of the improvements in the new varieties.
Punjab agriculture director Gurvinder Singh hoped that the new variety PUSA 1885 will be grown over at least 20% of the total area under the premium crop.
