White Quinoa
The most widely traded grain-colour type in India, sourced from imported or privately held seed lines rather than a named bred variety — the default type most contract-farming buyers ask for.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Quinoa
- Type
- Grain-colour type (no bred/released variety)
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 120–150 days
- Seed rate
- Same as the crop generally — about 8–10 kg/ha for line sowing
- Expected yield
- Variable by seed source; not tied to a single documented figure
- Suitable soil
- Saline / marginal
- Release
- Not a bred or released variety — a grain-colour trade class sourced from imported and privately traded seed lines
About this variety
White quinoa is the pale, cream-coloured grain type that dominates commercial quinoa trade both globally and in India. Unlike Him Shakti, it is not a named bred variety — Indian growers sow imported or privately traded seed lines sold specifically by this grain colour, mostly through contract-farming arrangements with exporters and processors such as Suminter India Organics, Maati Tatva Agro and Shree Agro International. It is the colour most international and domestic buyers default to asking for, which makes it the safest choice for a grower without an already-confirmed buyer preference for red or black quinoa.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeNovember–December, the crop's general rabi window
- Seed rateSame as the crop generally — about 8–10 kg/ha for line sowing
- Spacing30 cm rows, thinned to about 20 cm within the row
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
120–150 days
Expected yield
Variable by seed source; not tied to a single documented figure
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The default grain colour most contract-farming buyers and exporters ask for, giving a grower the widest pool of potential buyers.
- Same low-input, drought- and salinity-tolerant growing requirements as red and black quinoa — the choice between colours is mainly about buyer demand, not cultivation difficulty.
Things to consider
- With no ICAR release behind it, seed quality, germination and true-to-colour purity depend entirely on the private supplier or contract-farming partner.
- Confirm your buyer wants white specifically before committing land, since white, red and black quinoa move through mostly separate trade channels.
Suitable regions
Quinoa is still a new crop in India with no fixed growing belt for any grain-colour type — these are states it is reported grown in, not an exhaustive or officially recommended list.
- Rajasthan
- Uttarakhand
Sourced from: Quinoa Seeds in India: Cultivation in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand. editorial policy.