Sona Masuri (IET No. 7244, BPT 3291, also spelled as Sona Masoori or Sona Mahsuri) is a lightweight and

aromatic In chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property of cyclic ( ring-shaped), ''typically'' planar (flat) molecular structures with pi bonds in resonance (those containing delocalized electrons) that gives increased stability compared to satur ...

medium-grain

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

which is the result of a cross combination of the rice varieties Sona and Mahsuri. It is grown largely in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n states of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, and used primarily in

South Indian cuisine South Indian cuisine includes the cuisines of the five southern states of India—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana—and the union territories of Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The ...

. In

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

, Sona Masuri rice is called ''Bangaru Theegalu'' (meaning Golden Ivy). Sona Masuri is a premium variety of rice that is mainly exported to the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. In Andhra Pradesh, it is mainly cultivated in the Krishna, Guntur, Kurnool, Nellore, Prakasham and Twin Godavari districts. In Telangana it is mainly cultivated in Mahabubnagar, Miryalaguda, karimnagar, Nizamabad, and Warangal. In Karnataka, it is mainly cultivated in the Raichur, Koppal and Bellary, Belagavi districts.

References

{{Varieties of rice Rice varieties Agriculture in Andhra Pradesh Rice production in India