Hyderabad: For 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.
Two non-Genetically Modified (non-GMO) seeds bred in the fields of Andhra Pradesh have popped into existence, setting the course for India to become the popcorn capital of Asia. Local scientists have developed India’s first high-expansion non-GMO popcorn maize hybrid seeds, Krisna459 and Godari234, to match the popping quality of the world’s finest corn.
The seeds were launched Monday in Eluru district by Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The launch took place at Gourmet Popcornica’s factory in Eluru’s Musunuru mandal. Established by S.B.P. Pattabhi Rama Rao in 2014, Chennai-headquartered Gourmet Popcornica transformed an open field into hybrid R&D farm test beds for nearly 11 years, which culminated into the two high-expansion popcorn seeds.
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) August 24, 2026
What makes Krisna and Godari special is that they are specifically tailored to Indian tropical and soil conditions. In addition, they boast three important features: non-Genetically Modified (GMO), hybrid, and high-expansion.
A world-class expansion ratio means that each kernel pops larger, becomes crunchier, and the product has a minuscule number of unpopped kernels compared to standard maize. Andhra Pradesh scientists invented the hybrid seeds by crossing two selected parent plants with specific characteristics to produce the Krisna and Godari varieties.
By scaling these varieties to now produce 30 tonnes annually, this regional farming initiative could successfully disrupt global supply chains and power Asia’s largest popcorn production powerhouse.
Data shared by Pattabhi Rama Rao suggests that India imports more than 70 percent of its popcorn kernels from Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. Explaining the innovation process, he said that he started a breeding programme by initially creating 1,200 hybrids from American lines with the best India had to offer. Over time, these hybrids went through station breeding trials, where the number was reduced to 10. Further, these 10 hybrids went through preliminary yield trials in 2023, followed by advanced yield trials in 2024.
“Scientists and farmers worked hand-in-hand to develop the lab-tested India’s first non-GMO, high-expansion, hybrid popcorn maize seeds that would redefine maize cultivation in India,” Pattabhi Rama Rao said at the launch Monday. “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,” he added.
More than 17,500 farmers across eight states, cultivating nearly 40,000 acres with Gourmet Popcornica, stand to benefit directly, said Rao.
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.
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India’s popcorn maize market
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, Gourmet Popcornica said in a statement. It termed this a dramatic reversal from a market once dependent almost entirely on imports.
The shift to local production has saved the country an estimated Rs 810 crore in foreign exchange in 2025-26 alone, the statement went on to say.
It added that, with hybrids like Krisna459 and Godari234 entering wide cultivation, India remains on track to end popcorn kernel imports altogether by 2030, keeping that value within Indian farms and villages rather than sending it abroad.
CM Chandrababu Naidu said at the launch, “It brings me great pride that Asia’s largest popcorn facility is in Nuziveedu and is being supported by Andhra’s farmers. There are 3,400 theatres in India, and I wish for all the cinegoers to be enjoying the taste of Andhra’s popcorn. Until now, 70 percent of all the money was going to farmers overseas since we used to import the corn kernels. Now, Indian farmers will benefit greatly from selling their produce to Gourmet Popcornica.”
Andhra Pradesh recorded an estimated maize production of 37.61 lakh metric tonnes during the Rabi 2025–26 season, expanding its cultivation significantly across approximately 4.83 lakh hectares in the state. The state has one of the highest yields in the country at over 6,500 kg per hectare, which is well above the national average.
Benefiting from the rich delta soils and irrigation canals of the Krishna and Godavari rivers, districts such as Guntur achieve peak productivity of over 10,600 kg per hectare. Other major growing regions include Kurnool, Prakasam, Kadapa, Krishna, and West Godavari.
Norm Krug, founder and CEO of Preferred Popcorn, Gourmet Popcornica’s USA partner, from whom the company imported popcorn kernels before developing its own said, “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.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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