West Bengal

Bengal's rice biodiversity is among the world's richest — the home of Gobindobhog, Kalo Nunia, and the GI-protected aromatic traditions.

Bengal has one of the deepest rice cultures in the world — the 16th-century Ain-i-Akbari (Mughal administrative record) lists 48 varieties of rice cultivated in Bengal. The Bardhaman district alone grows over 200 traditional varieties including the aromatic GI-tagged Gobindobhog, the medicinal Kalo Nunia, and the high-protein Kataribhog. Bengal's culinary identity is inseparable from its rice — the Bengali calendar itself is divided into six seasons corresponding to rice cultivation cycles. The Darjeeling Hills produce the world's most prized Darjeeling tea (first GI tag in India, 2004) and show the country's first example of GI protection working to sustain farming communities.