Question

How many varieties of rice have been estimated to be present in India?
A. 2,000
B. 20,000
C. 200,000
D. 2,000,000

Answer 1

Hint: Before the rise of the Green Movement in the 1960s, India was claimed to have been home to some 110,000 varieties of rice (Richharia and Govindasamy 1990), most of which had been extinct from farmland.

Complete answer:
Only accurate data are available by Richharia and Govindasamy (1990), which estimated that about 200,000 varieties existed in India before the Green Revolution. Considering that all of these folk varieties were synonymous, an approximate 110,000 varieties were cultivated. Such incredible figures gain credibility from the fact that Dr. Richharia obtained 22,000 folk varieties (currently in custody at Raipur University) from Chhattisgarh alone – one of the 28 states of India. So, now we know that 200,000 varieties of rice are present in India. Rice has been our mainstay for thousands of years. The diversity of rice in India is among the richest in the world. Basmati rice is distinctive for its unique aroma and 27 recorded varieties are grown in India.

So, with this we can conclude that, there are 200,000 varieties present in India.

Additional Information:
The M.S. Swaminathan research center in India estimates that India itself has 100,000 traditional varieties actually in use by farmers across the world, and another 300,000 that have gone extinct. India's 100,000 might be overestimated, but even if it is, it's likely not too wild. If every small Southeast Asian country has 10,000, India could easily have more than 50,000.

Note: The quality requirements of rice consumers have led to a wide range of varieties unique to various locations. While the exact variety can not be determined, it is expected to be nearly 140,000 different genotypes.