Amid rising concerns over the rejection of Indian rice consignments abroad for exceeding permissible pesticide residue levels, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) have decided to establish two advanced pesticide testing laboratories — one each in Karnal and Amritsar — to ensure basmati rice meets global quality standards.

Both cities, located in Haryana and Punjab respectively, are major basmati-growing hubs and will serve as ideal centres for quality monitoring, farmer training and export facilitation.

“We are going to set up two laboratories under the Basmati Export Development Fund (BEDF) to test pesticide residues and overall quality of basmati,” said Abhishek Dev, chairman of APEDA, while speaking to ‘The Tribune’ on the sidelines of a coordination meeting with AIREA members in Karnal on Tuesday.

Dev added that a seed production station is also being established in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, for basmati seed improvement and development. He further announced that India would participate as the country partner at the Gulf Food Festival in Dubai from January 26 to 30, where APEDA will host a “mega event” showcasing Indian cuisine prepared with premium basmati.

“We will serve Indian dishes made from our finest basmati to attract more countries and customers. The goal is to expand our global footprint,” Dev said.

Expressing concern over the rejection of shipments due to pesticide residues, he urged farmers and exporters to move towards organic rice production. “We need to produce more organic rice and strengthen our credibility in the international market,” he emphasised.

During the event, Dev handed over a permission letter to AIREA for establishing a basmati gallery and export promotion centre. He also highlighted APEDA’s ongoing campaign to train farmers in good agricultural practices, noting that around 25,000 farmers have been trained so far, with a target of 50,000 this year.

AIREA president Satish Goel said India achieved highest-ever basmati exports last year, touching 6.02 million tonnes worth Rs 50,000 crore. “From April 1 to August 30 this year, India exported 2.73 million tonnes, up from 2.3 million tonnes in the same period last year — an increase of nearly 4 lakh tonnes,” Goel said.

“We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, which has helped us achieve such milestones. This year, we aim to surpass our previous record,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sushil Jain, president of the Haryana Rice Exporters Association, raised concerns over the higher market fee in Haryana, which stands at 3.5%, compared to 2% in Punjab, and even lower in other states — 1.2% in MP, 1.5% in UP, 2.1% in Rajasthan and 1% in Delhi. He urged the state government to reduce the fee to 1.5% to support both farmers and traders.

Former AIREA president Vijay Setia also underscored the issue of pesticide residues and called for the wider adoption of organic cultivation to sustain India’s leadership in global basmati exports.