Search for 1121 basmati and you meet four names for what looks like one product: Pusa 1121, Golden Sella, Steam, and plain 1121. They are not the same thing. Two of them name a variety, two name a processing method, and mixing them up is how buyers end up comparing a quote for one against a quote for another.
Pusa 1121: the variety
Pusa Basmati 1121 was bred at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa, New Delhi. "1121" is the breeding line number. It is an extra-long-grain basmati: our specification asks for a raw grain length of at least 8.30 mm, and the grain elongates strongly on cooking, which is why it is one of the most widely exported basmati varieties. Everything below, sella, steam and raw, is a way of processing the same 1121 paddy.
Sella, Golden Sella, Steam and raw: the processing
Sella (parboiled). The paddy is soaked, steamed in the husk, dried, then milled. The steaming gelatinises the starch, so the milled grain is harder, breaks less, stays separate when cooked and keeps longer in hot, humid storage. That is why sella is the standard for the Gulf, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, where rice is cooked in bulk and shipped through hot ports.
Golden Sella. Sella with a uniform golden-amber colour. Colour matching is a grading decision made at the mill, and it is the version buyers usually mean when they search for "golden sella".
Steam. Raw rice that is milled and then lightly steamed. It is whiter than sella and cooks softer. It is not parboiled, so it is more fragile in transit.
White raw. Milled with no steaming. Premium in some retail markets, rarely the choice for bulk Gulf and Latin American trade.
The specs worth comparing across suppliers
- Average raw grain length: 8.30 mm minimum for 1121.
- Broken grain: under 1% on our premium sella.
- Moisture: 12–13%.
- Foreign matter: under 0.05%.
- Certificate of Analysis per batch, plus heavy-metal and aflatoxin results within Codex limits.
- Packing: 25 kg PP-woven or 50 kg jute; private-label artwork on request.
- Terms: FOB Mundra or Kandla, HS 10063012, minimum one 20-ft container (about 25 MT), lead time 14–21 days from PO.
If two quotes for "1121 sella" differ widely, check these lines first. A cheaper quote usually has a lower average grain length, a higher broken percentage or fresher, un-aged rice.
What moves the price per ton
Buyers searching for "1121 basmati rice price" want a number, but any fixed number goes stale within days. What moves it: the crop year and how long the rice has aged, the grade (grain length, broken percentage, moisture), paddy arrivals at the mandi, the USD/INR rate, any export policy change, the packing, and the Incoterm and freight. We therefore quote against the current market. Send the grade, quantity and destination port, and you get a written quotation within 48 hours.
Checking a supplier before you pay
Ask for a pre-shipment sample and a Certificate of Analysis, welcome an SGS or Intertek inspection at the loading port, and match the payment term to the history you have: a 100% irrevocable L/C at sight is the safest first-order structure, and we accept it. The reasoning is in LC vs TT for a first order.
— Nitik · Darsavio EXIM