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Choosing the Right Rice Grade for Your Market

03 July 2025 · IRM Team

Choosing the Right Rice Grade for Your Market

Steam, Sella, Golden or Parboiled? New buyers often pick a grade on price alone and then discover it does not suit how their customers actually cook.

Start with the end user, not the price list

Ask three questions before you choose: How is the rice cooked? How long does it sit on a shelf or a buffet? And what price band does the customer expect?

1121 Steam Basmati — foodservice and premium retail

Light, non-sticky and consistently separate. Choose it for hotels, caterers and premium retail packs.

1121 Golden Sella — banquets and long holding times

The parboiling and 12–24 month ageing make Golden Sella extremely forgiving: it holds firm in a chafing dish and refuses to clump.

If the rice will sit in a warmer for two hours, choose Sella. If it goes straight from pot to plate, Steam will taste better. 1509 Basmati — volume caterers watching food cost

Genuine basmati character with a faster cooking time, lower water usage and a higher yield per kilo.

Super Fine Sella — distributors needing shelf life

99% purity with a 7.3 mm grain, parboiled for strength. Available in Golden and White.

Irri-9-C9 and IR64 — value and bulk programmes

  • Irri-9-C9 Sella — 6.8 mm long grain, high water absorption, low breakage.
  • IR64 Parboiled — 6 mm medium grain, soft bite, cooks evenly in large batches.

Organic Basmati — clean-label and natural food retail

Non-GMO and pesticide-free, naturally aged 12–18 months.