India points grading guidelines for Bengal’s 5 premium non-Basmati rice varieties

The Agriculture Ministry has notified grading and advertising guidelines for 5 premium non-Basmati rice styles of West Bengal — Gobindabhog, Tulaipanji, Kataribhog, Kalonunia and Radhunipagal. Below this, the authorised packers need to both arrange their very own laboratory or use an authorized laboratory for testing the standard of rice, which will probably be for the primary time completed for any non-Basmati selection.

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For home commerce, packers need to observe FSSAI requirements and for export, they should adjust to the residual limits fastened by the Codex Alimentarius Fee or importing nations, in line with a notification issued by the Agriculture Ministry final week.

Issuing the Non-Basmati Fragrant Rice Grading and Marking Guidelines, 2024, the Ministry mentioned objections and strategies acquired from the stakeholders have been duly thought-about. The draft guidelines have been notified in October final yr and stakeholders have been requested to submit their views in 45 days.

Guaranteeing purity

“The rice shall be packed in appropriate packaging materials in accordance with the provisions of the Meals Security and Requirements (Packaging) Laws, 2018, the Meals Security and Requirements (Labelling and Show) Laws, 2020 and Authorized Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Guidelines, 2011,” it mentioned.

Additional, the graded materials of small pack sizes of the identical lot or batch and grade could also be packed in a grasp container with full particulars thereon together with the grade designation mark. Every package deal shall include rice of the identical kind and of the identical grade designation, it mentioned.

To make sure the purity of those 5 varieties, like in case of Basmati, the Authorities has mentioned affirmation for rice selection shall be completed by Polymerase Chain Response take a look at, if required.

The federal government has additionally prescribed element specs of every selection mentioning minimal necessities similar to brief or lengthy grains kind, how a lot pure perfume it possess, attribute of the range each in uncooked and cooked varieties, needs to be free from synthetic colouring, sprucing brokers, synthetic fragrances and every other chemical substances.

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Gobindabhog rice is produced primarily in West Bengal’s Bardhaman, Hooghly, Nadia and Birbhum districts. On the identical time, each Tulaipanji and Radhunipagal primarily discovered their origin within the Raiganj subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur district. Kataribhog is grown within the undivided Dinajpur district whereas Kalonunia is cultivated in Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Darjeeling areas of the State.