With the Bless of Mother River Narmada, the innovation & hard work for new seed development by Indian agriculture Scientist & government support for agriculture growth in M.P., the land of Madhya Pradesh being fertile to grow different types of basmati rice. Lately basmati rice of different variants has been grown in Madhya Pradesh and has been exported, accepted & Appreciated in many countries included American, European, Gulf, Australian & Asian countries.

The soil and environmental conditions in Madhya pradesh are best suited for growing the high-yielding Pusa Basmati-1 variety.The traditional tall basmati cultivars are suited for saline and alkaline soils of pH 7-9 found in states such as Haryana. But Pusa Basmati-1 is ideal for the neutral to acidic soils of MP with 6-8 pH. MP accounts for 50 per cent of India’s area under Pusa Basmati-1 and 70 per cent of the export of this rice variety to the western world (US and Europe). That itself is proof of the quality of basmati being grown by farmers in MP. Also, the shallow to deep black soil in MP is better for moisture retention. And with the main growing areas (Raisen, Vidisha and Hoshangabad) getting twice the rainfall of other basmati cultivating states, the crop gets enough water without a flood-like situation. That, in turn, also makes it less prone to pest and disease attack, The common pests in basmati include the brown and white plant hopper (sap-sucking insects that attack between mid-September and mid-October), while diseases are mainly the leaf and neck blast fungus that infest the nodes of the plant’s main stem (from where the grain-bearing earheads or panicles emerge).

“The stagnant water and high humidity during late-August is particularly conducive to the blast in other basmati cultivation states. Farmers, therefore, are forced to spray fungicides like Tricyclazole and also insecticides such as Buprofezin and Picoxystrobin against plant hoppers. All this leads to pesticide residue issues, whereas you don’t get these conditions in Madhya Pradesh’s well-drained soils,”

The other advantage that MP has is the less sharp drop in temperatures during the October-November period at the time of flowering and grain-filling. While traditional basmati paddy or even other high-yielding varieties such as Pusa-1121 and Pusa-1509 can tolerate these, Pusa Basmati-1 cannot. The latter when grown in MP, hence, yields better quality paddy with more grain length and less chalkiness due to more complete filling. “That is precisely why Pusa Basmati-1 rice from MP has good consumer acceptance in the western world,”

However, the fact that about 2 lakh hectares area is today under basmati cultivation in MP.