Indian Rice Exporter’s Federation (IREF) has said it is willing to collaborate with APEDA in the Basmati crop survey exercise. The collaboration between APEDA and IREF for the Basmati Crop Survey 2026 can be positioned as a strategic public–industry partnership supporting accurate production forecasting, export planning, farmer outreach, and global credibility of Indian Basmati rice, it said in a letter to APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev.

businessline on May 6 reported that the AI-based basmati paddy survey project is to be implemented by APEDA covering approximately 4 million hectares, despite the fact that this premium aromatic rice crop is grown on only 2.14 million hectares, as per APEDA’s own 2023 report. It has fuelled intense discussions regarding a potential expansion of the current Basmati Geographical Indication (GI) zone, a move that remains contested, given that the legal inclusion of Madhya Pradesh is still sub judice. Besides, APEDA has selected only one other industry body, All India Rice Exporters Association to collaborate on conducting the survey.

In his letter to APEDA last week, IREF’s director general Vinod Kumar Kaul has said that the government’s agri export promotion body had earlier been conducting annual Basmati crop surveys through its Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF), using satellite imagery, field surveys, crop health assessment, and yield estimation across Basmati GI states.

“But, since 2023, it is understood that the Surveys were not conducted. IREF recommends that APEDA may re-start the Basmati Crop survey which serves as a pivotal point for exporters to make well conceived business policy decisions based on crop situation. IREF is willing to collaborate with APEDA in this exercise.

“The collaboration between APEDA and IREF for the Basmati Crop Survey 2026 can be positioned as a strategic public–industry partnership, supporting accurate production forecasting, export planning, farmer outreach, and global credibility of Indian Basmati rice,” Kaul said.

IREF has also proposed that the Survey should have two segments -- GI region states and other regions such as Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which are also known to be growing Basmati. Through its extensive network of exporters, millers and field-level industry stakeholders across Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and other Basmati growing regions, IREF can extend support in facilitating coordination between survey teams and farmer clusters, Kaul said.

Further, IREF can also assist in dissemination of survey-related information among stakeholders, support validation of survey findings through local industry inputs, share export market trends and varietal demand patterns in key international markets.

The industry body is also ready to participate in technical consultations and stakeholder review meetings, if considered appropriate by APEDA, Kaul suggested adding such an institutional collaboration would contribute towards enhancing the accuracy, outreach and effectiveness of the survey and strengthen the overall Basmati value chain.

Published on May 14, 2026