Basmati is renowned for its distinctive aroma and flavor, and its cultivation includes A________ documented varieties in B________. Here, A and B stand for:

A–27, B–India

Rice holds significant importance as a staple food grain with a history dating back thousands of years in Asia's agricultural heritage. India alone boasts an impressive diversity of around 200,000 rice varieties, making it one of the world's richest repositories of rice diversity.

Among these varieties, Basmati rice stands out for its exceptional aroma and flavor, with India cultivating 27 documented varieties of Basmati.

Basmati rice has been mentioned in ancient texts, folklore, and poetry, underscoring its centuries-old cultivation and cultural significance. However, in 1997, an American company acquired patent rights for Basmati rice through the US Patent and Trademark Office. This allowed the company to market a "new" variety of Basmati in the US and other countries. Interestingly, this "new" variety was derived from Indian farmers' traditional varieties of Basmati. The company claimed it as an invention or novelty by crossing Indian Basmati with semi-dwarf varieties.