Context

According to IAR (Indian Agriculture Research Institute)I, the illicit seed sales and cultivation of IARI varieties in Pakistan started with Pusa Basmati Rice-1121 (PB-1121).

Illegal Cultivation of Pusa Basmati Rice in Pakistan

• Kainat Basmati: The Pusa Basmati 1121 variety is officially registered as ‘PK 1121 Aromatic’ in Pakistan and sold as ‘1121 Kainat’ basmati.
• Cultivation of Other Popular Varieties: Pakistan is also cultivating popular IARI-bred varieties such as Pusa Basmati-6 (PB-6) and PB-1509 (registered and renamed as ‘Kissan Basmati’ in Pakistan), which were launched in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Reasons for Growing of Protected Varieties in Pakistan

• Easy availability of High Yielding Variety seeds: It takes 5 kg of seeds to plant an acre of PB-1847. Within four months, that acre will produce approximately 2,800 kg of grain.
• Reusing of Seeds: Even after accounting for 10% processing loss, more than 2,500 kg of this grain can now be reused as seed for continued growth.
• Buying of seeds from Punjab and Haryana: Pakistani seed producers required to obtain a few kg of PB-1847 and PB-1885 grains – from fields over the border or even from mandis in Punjab or Haryana – to multiply and sell within two years of its release in India.

Features of Basmati Rice Varieties Developed at IARI

• Pusa Basmati 1121: It is the world’s longest Basmati rice. It was first issued as Pusa 1121 (Pusa Sugandh 4) in 2003 and then publicized as Pusa Basmati 1121 in 2008.
  • It matures from seed to seed in 145 days and produces 45 q/ha on average.
• Pusa Basmati 1509: This variety, resulting from the cross of Pusa 1121 and Pusa 1301, overcomes all of the significant flaws of Pusa Basmati 1121.
  • It matures in 115 days, with an average yield of 5 tonnes per hectare.
• Enhanced Pusa Basmati 1 (Pusa 1460):  Pusa 1460 is an enhanced form of Pusa Basmati 1 that is resistant to bacterial leaf blight. It is India’s first output of molecular breeding in rice.
• Pusa Basmati 6 (Pusa 1401) : Superior grain quality: It outperforms Pusa 1121 in terms of yield, agronomy, and cooking quality.
• Pusa RH10: It  is the world’s first superfine grain aromatic rice hybrid, launched in 2001 for commercial cultivation in irrigated ecosystems of Haryana, Delhi, and Uttaranchal.
• Registration of Pusa Basmati Rice in India:
• Notified Under Seeds Act: All bred varieties are notified under the Seeds Act of 1966 for cultivation in the legally designated Geographical Indication (GI) area of basmati rice in India, which includes seven northern states.
• Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001: They are also registered under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001. 
  • This Act only allows Indian farmers to sow, save, resow, exchange, or transfer seeds from protected/registered types.

Popular Basmati Varieties in Pakistan

• Kainat Basmati: The Pusa Basmati 1121 variety is officially registered as ‘PK 1121 Aromatic’ in Pakistan and sold as ‘1121 Kainat’ basmati.
• Cultivation of Other Popular Varieties: Pakistan is also cultivating popular IARI-bred varieties such as Pusa Basmati-6 (PB-6) and PB-1509 (registered and renamed as ‘Kissan Basmati’ in Pakistan), which were launched in 2010 and 2013, respectively.
• Advanced Varieties: The three varieties, Pusa Basmati-1847 (PB-1847), PB-1885, and PB-1886, were released in late 2021.
  • These are enhanced variants of PB-1509, PB-1121, and PB-6, which were engineered to provide resistance to bacterial blight and rice blast fungal disease.