Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF) Centre: ₹15 Crore Training Facility in Pilibhit

Key facts

• The Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is establishing a basmati and organic training centre and demonstration farm in Tanda Bijesi village, Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh.
• The project is estimated at ₹15 crore and involves the transfer of 7 acres of land.
• The Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF) centre is the second such facility in Uttar Pradesh, following the one in Meerut.
• The BEDF centre will serve farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.
• The project includes an AI-based satellite survey to map basmati cultivation areas, identify varieties, and generate data for export estimates.
• The facility will feature a seed unit, an auditorium, a museum of 45 notified basmati varieties, and a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited lab to test for DNA, pesticide residues, and heavy metals.
• The BEDF aims to train over 50,000 farmers across seven basmati-producing states by the end of 2025–26.
• Construction is being executed by the Public Works Department (PWD) and is expected to be completed within a year.