Editors Synopsis:
· Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Hon'ble Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Shri S. Abdul Nazeer, and the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu, witness the launch of Krisna459 and Godari234, India’s own non-GMO popcorn hybrids, developed at Gourmet Popcornica’s Research Farms
· Krisna459 and Godari234, dedicated to the farmers of India, mark a landmark step toward Atmanirbhar Bharat in agriculture and lower import dependence
· From value-added contract farming to owning the seed itself – Gourmet Popcornica’s next step in building complete, lasting self-reliance for India’s popcorn farmers
Musunuru,
Andhra Pradesh: In a moment
India's popcorn industry has waited for over a decade,
the Hon'ble Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, today launched Krisna459 and Godari234,
India's first high-expansion non-GMO popcorn maize hybrid seeds, bred to match
the popping quality of the world's finest corn. The launch took place at Gourmet Popcornica's factory in Musunuru, in the
presence of the Hon'ble
Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Shri S. Abdul Nazeer, and the
Hon'ble Chief Minister of
Andhra Pradesh, Shri Nara Chandrababu
Naidu. The event concluded with the felicitation of the best-performing farmers
and partners from eight states across the country.
The launch marks the next step in
a longer journey with India’s farmers. Gourmet Popcornica
first moved growers out of commodity maize and into value-added, contract-based
popcorn corn farming, offering
assured offtake and better prices
for a specialised crop. With Krisna459 and Godari234, farmers
now gain something more fundamental ownership of the genetics itself. Rather than depend on
imported hybrid seed, they grow a hybrid bred, tested, and owned in
India, built to deliver higher yields, processor-grade quality, and a far greater share of the value
their crop creates.
"Today, we take a small but firm step toward Atmanirbhar Bharat – not a slogan, but a seed. Every acre cultivated
with this indigenous hybrid is an acre that no longer
needs an imported alternative, and every such acre is a saving
redirected into the pockets of our own farmers,
and the economic development of our great
country." - Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Hon'ble Vice-President of India
For years, India's premium popcorn, the kind sold in cinemas and
gourmet retail, depended heavily on seed and grain imported from the USA, Argentina, Brazil,
South Africa, etc.
Krisna459 and Godari234 are the homegrown answer to dependence on
imports. Bred and trial-tested across
five growing seasons
in partnership with India's leading
maize research institutions,
both hybrids match the kernel size and popping expansion of the leading
imported benchmark, while offering the pest tolerance, short duration, and
yield Indian farmers need. Together, they represent Gourmet Popcornica's
most significant contribution yet to India's Atmanirbhar Bharat mission in agriculture.
"This hybrid is precisely the kind of agri-tech innovation our
Swarnandhra 2047 vision calls for, technology that does not replace the farmer,
but empowers him. When our farmers succeed,
Andhra Pradesh succeeds,
and when Andhra
Pradesh succeeds, India
moves closer to a Viksit
Bharat.", Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu,
Hon'ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Over 17,500 farmers across eight states, cultivating nearly 40,000
acres with Gourmet Popcornica, stand to benefit directly. With average yields
of 4.5 tonnes of wet cob per acre and popping quality that meets
processor-grade specifications, farmers growing Krisna459 and Godari234 gain
access to assured offtake and contract pricing that were, until now, largely
reserved for imported grain. This is expected to lead to a direct and lasting
improvement in income for small and marginal farming families, reinforcing
Gourmet Popcornica's commitment to the growth and prosperity of farmers across
India.
"This is not the
story of a company – it is the story of over 17,500 farmers across eight
states who chose to believe a better harvest
was possible. Krisna459 and Godari234 are our answer to their
faith in us, and our tribute to every farmer
who partners with Gourmet Popcornica. We are witnessing a
moment that Indian agriculture has waited for, the day India's own soil,
India's own science, and India's own farmers gave birth to our first non-GMO, high-expansion Popcorn Maize Hybrid seed. For me, and for everyone at Gourmet Popcornica, this is not a corporate milestone; it supports the vision
of Atmanirbhar Bharat." Shri S.B.P. Pattabhi
Rama Rao, Managing Director, Gourmet Popcornica
The Indian economy stands to benefit,
as well. India's popcorn maize market has grown from around 50,000 tonnes in 2014-15 to roughly 1.3 lakh tonnes in 2025-26,
with domestic production now meeting close to 70 percent of national
demand. This is a dramatic reversal from a market once dependent almost
entirely on imports.
The shift to local production has saved the country an estimated ₹810 crore in foreign
exchange in 2025-26 alone. With hybrids
like Krisna459 and Godari234 entering wide cultivation, India
remains on track to end
popcorn imports altogether by 2030, keeping
that value within Indian farms and villages rather than sending it abroad.
"I've spent my life growing popcorn
in Nebraska, and I can tell you – what Gourmet Popcornica has built here matches anything we grow back home. India
now has the genetics,
the farmers, and the scale to become one of the great popcorn-growing nations
of the world, and we're proud to be part of
that journey." Mr. Norm Krug,
Founder & CEO, Preferred Popcorn, USA
Until now, India has been primarily a consumer of world-class popcorn genetics developed elsewhere. With Krisna459 and Godari234 meeting the same quality benchmarks as leading international varieties, India moves from being an importer of quality popcorn to a producer of it – with
the scale of farmland and farmers to eventually compete on the global stage
alongside traditional popcorn-growing nations.
For the millions of Indians who enjoy
popcorn at the cinema, at home, or on the go, the experience does not change
– the same big, fluffy, satisfying popcorn remains exactly
as it should be. What changes
is where it comes from: an Indian farm, an Indian hybrid,
and a supply chain far less exposed to global shipping
costs, tariffs, or disruption.