Indian basmati meant for exports is blended with a small percentage of non basmati long grain varieties. Now complaints are mounting that this blending of low quality non basmati in the basmati varieties, being exported to Iran, has gone beyond the industry norm of 20 per cent. This heavy adulteration of basmati being exported to Iran is denting the image of the Indian basmati in the global market. This has once again revived the issue of adulteration of basmati exported to some of the niche markets in Europe, the UK and the USA, and how this downgrading had adversely impacted exports of Indian basmati. Exports of Indian basmati to the US have almost dried up because of the higher-than-permissible level of tricyclozole (fungicide) present in the rice. Many large basmati exporters rue that with the ‘high’ adulteration of basmati exported to Iran, importers in other countries are getting skeptical about the basmati prices being manipulated by their buyers in other niche foreign markets. As of now, this ‘contamination’ of basmati rice (PUSA 1121) with inferior quality PR114 (aromatic non basmati variety) is being done only for the rice being exported to Iran. Rice exporters in the region told TNS that this blending of rice is being done in India under the ‘guidance’ of certain Iranian government officials. A top rice exporter said after the imposition of sanctions against Iran by the West, private importers in Iran were facing several problems in importing basmati from India as exports via the UAE have stopped. It was then that the Government Trading Corporation (GTC) of Iran started inviting bids and directly importing the basmati from India. “However, the GTC fixed a price of $ 1150 per tonne for the imported rice. But globally, the price of rice zoomed to $ 1450- 1500 per tonne, and have remained so for the past two months. As a result, many exporters, in order to make profits, started blending basmati with non basmati variety,” Sushil Jain, vice-president, All India Rice Exporters Association, admitted that the blended rice was being exported to Iran by some unscrupulous exporters under the garb of basmati. The reason After the imposition of sanctions against Iran, many private importers in Iran faced problems in importing basmati from India It was then that an Iranian agency started directly importing the basmati from India However, it fixed a price of $ 1150 per tonne for the imported rice even as globally, the price of rice zoomed to $1450-1500 per tonne As a result, many exporters, in order to maintain profits, started blending basmati with non-basmati variety.