1121, 1509, 1401 or Traditional: Matching Basmati Grades to Markets

This guide will help you match the main Indian basmati varieties to the market and dish you are buying for, so you can name the right grade in your enquiry and avoid paying for length or aroma your customers won't notice.

Why the variety name matters

"Basmati" covers several varieties with different grain length, aroma, cooking behaviour and regulatory status. Two lots that look similar in the bag can cook very differently in a restaurant kitchen. Some markets also treat varieties differently for duty or labelling.

The four names you will see most often on Indian offers are 1121, 1509, 1401 and "Traditional".

The four main grades at a glance

Pusa 1121 is the workhorse of Indian basmati exports. A 2018 study in the journal Rice estimated it covered about 70% of India's basmati area.

Newer versions of the same grades

IARI has bred disease-resistant versions of the main varieties. Pusa Basmati 1718 is a bacterial-blight-resistant version of 1121. In 2022 IARI released three more: PB 1847 (improved 1509), PB 1885 (improved 1121) and PB 1886 (improved Pusa Basmati 6). They carry resistance to bacterial blight and blast, which should reduce the need for fungicide sprays. In trade they are often sold under the parent grade's name, so ask what is actually in the lot.

Gulf: biryani, kabsa, machboos

Gulf kitchens cook rice in large batches, often with meat stock, and hold it hot for service. They want long grains that stay separate and don't break when stirred.

• 1121 sella (golden or white) is the standard choice for food service and large-family retail packs. Parboiled grain tolerates long cooking and holding.
• 1121 steam suits restaurants and households that want whiter rice with more aroma but still firm grains.
• 1509 sella or steam is used as a lower-cost alternative where buyers accept a little less elongation.

Gulf buyers usually judge first on raw and cooked length, colour uniformity and broken %. Aroma ranks below appearance for most food-service buyers.

UK retail

UK supermarket and ethnic-retail buyers sell to home cooks. Rice is boiled or absorbed in small quantities, and aroma and texture count for more than in catering.

• Steam and raw (white) basmati dominate retail. Traditional types and 1401 are valued for aroma. 1121 sells on length.
• Authenticity rules apply. The UK Code of Practice on basmati allows up to 7% non-basmati rice and lists approved varieties. A revised code came into force on 1 January 2023 and changed the approved list, removing some varieties and adding others. Check your chosen variety against the current list before you contract.
• Testing is routine. UK buyers and enforcement bodies use DNA testing to check variety claims.

EU

The EU is a demanding market for basmati, for two reasons.

Duty. The EU gives a duty concession on husked (brown) basmati only for a listed set of older varieties: Basmati 217, 370, 386, Kernel, Pusa Basmati, Ranbir, Super Basmati, Taraori (HBC-19) and Type-3 (Dehradun). Newer varieties such as 1121 and 1509 are not on that list. Some EU buyers import husked basmati of listed varieties and mill it in Europe.

Residues. Since the end of 2017 (30 December 2017 for basmati) the EU maximum residue level for the fungicide tricyclazole in rice has been 0.01 mg/kg, the level of quantification. Tricyclazole is widely used in India against blast. Lots for the EU need a residue-controlled supply chain and a test report on the actual lot.

For these reasons EU buyers often ask for traditional or Pusa Basmati types grown under residue control programmes, rather than whatever the market has most of.

Matching grade to dish

Questions that decide the right grade

1. Who cooks it and how? Large batches and hot holding favour sella. Small home batches favour steam or raw.
2. What does the customer judge first? Length, colour or aroma.
3. What does the destination require? Approved variety lists, duty concessions and residue limits can narrow the choice before price comes in.
4. How long will it sit on the shelf? Sella generally holds up better in hot warehouses.
5. What is the price ceiling? 1509 often gives you length at a lower cost than 1121, with a little less elongation.

Before you order

• Name the variety, not only "basmati" or "1121 type"
• State processing: raw, steam, golden sella or white sella
• State crop year and minimum ageing
• For the UK, confirm the variety is on the current Code of Practice list
• For the EU, confirm variety status for duty and ask for a lot-specific residue report
• Ask for a cook test result: cooked length and elongation
• Agree a sealed reference sample

If you're sourcing basmati, tell us the dish, the market and the processing you need, plus pack size and destination port. We'll suggest a grade, send a sample from our partner mills in Haryana and follow up with a written quote.