India to increase share of organic Basmati rice exports to UAE

India to increase share of organic Basmati rice exports to UAE

New Delhi  – Basmati rice, the largest agricultural product export from India, is to be refined in overseas consumer preferences with an increased share of its organic rice variety.Outlining the multiple measures towards this goal, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry here said the UAE and Saudi Arabia are the major markets for Indian Basmati rice. These two Gulf countries are followed by the European Union and the US.The move to increase production of the organic variety of this registered Indian Geographical Indication, GI, product is to be spearheaded by the Basmati Export Development Foundation. BEDF is a registered society associated with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.The Ministry's announcement followed the Annual General Meeting of the BEDF. The meeting decided to encourage exporters to engage in value addition and product diversification for key export markets such as the Gulf countries. It also focused on strengthening the supply chain for the export of Basmati rice.A workshop with stakeholders for increasing the share of organic Basmati rice to be organized soon. BEDF has set up a state-of-the-art laboratory with facilities for DNA finger printing for variety identification of Basmati rice and for testing of pesticide residues, aflatoxins and heavy metals, the