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Spec · rice process

Sella or white.
Say it before the mill runs.

Parboiled rice is a process, not a country and not a brand. IRRI can be either. Aromatic basmati is not assumed to be sella.

Sella
Parboiled before milling
White
Milled without that step
IRRI-6
Either, if you name it
Moisture
Max 14 percent
Rice illustration for parboiled sella and white rice
Zarkaar Group, Shesha Basti Talab, Multan. Updated 2026-10-02.

Sella is the trade name for parboiled rice. Paddy is soaked, steamed, and dried, then milled. The grain picks up a light yellow tint, a harder bite, and a longer cook. White rice is milled without that step. The two are different lots. Zarkaar will not bag white rice and call it sella after the fact.

IRRI-6 is the volume book and can be parboiled or white. IRRI-9 is the long-grain white name, and the variety page still asks you to confirm the process before the run is locked. Write the word either way. Basmati and Super Kernel are the aromatic books. A parboiled aromatic lot exists only when the proforma names that mill run.

Who usually wants which process

The kitchen decides. The mill cannot guess from the port.

Parboiled

Institutional kitchens and a large part of the Saudi and African volume trade ask for parboiled IRRI because the grain holds up in a big pot. It is still a lab-sheet product: moisture max 14 percent, broken grain on the commodity spec, fumigation at bag stage.

White and aromatic

Diaspora retail and Gulf premium shelves ask for aromatic white basmati or Super Kernel. Do not offer them sella as a cheaper twin. The grade comparison sits on the basmati buyers guide. This page only chooses the process.

Pack does not choose the process

A 5 kg retail bag and a 50 kg institutional bag can each hold sella or white. Private-label sizes are 5, 10, and 25 kg. Plain export bags at 25 and 50 kg remain available. Saudi retail still needs SASO on the artwork before stuffing. The process word goes on the purchase order in the same breath as the bag size.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sella rice?
Parboiled rice. The paddy is soaked, steamed, and dried, then milled. Buyers also call that process sella.
Is IRRI-6 always parboiled?
No. IRRI-6 can be parboiled or white. Name the one you want before the mill run.
Do you sell sella basmati as a standing grade?
Only when the proforma names a parboiled aromatic lot the mill can run. The standing aromatic books are milled basmati and Super Kernel. We do not relabel white as sella.
Does the process change the moisture limit?
The published moisture ceiling is still max 14 percent. Broken grain for IRRI stays the commodity spec on the lab sheet.

Get in touch

Write sella or white.

Grade, bag size, port, and month in the same note.

Mon–Sat 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM PKT · Shesha Basti Talab, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan