Punjab : Rice millers say no to hybrid varieties
Many Punjab paddy farmers face trouble as rice millers refuse to mill hybrid paddy despite a court lifting the state ban. Millers cite 43–45% broken grains versus 66% required outturn, forcing extra costs. Hybrid paddy acreage has risen, especially in Majha, due to higher yields, risking farmer losses.
Many paddy growers in Punjab will be left in the lurch again with rice millers clarifying that that they will not mill hybrid varieties of paddy. The reluctance on part of rice millers comes despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court order quashing the state government’s blanket ban on such varieties.
Explaining the decision, Punjab Rice Millers Industry vice-president Ranjit Singh Josan said, “We know the decision will adversely affect farmers, but why should we suffer? The outturn ratio of paddy is 66 per cent, but the broken rice in hybrid varieties is 43-45 per cent. So, millers have to buy rice from the market at their own cost and give the 66 per cent milled rice to the government.”
The Punjab government had imposed a ban on the use of hybrid seeds under pressure from the rice milling industry. Last year, too, rice millers had refused to mill hybrid paddy and PUSA 44 varieties, saying that these varieties had a much higher percentage of broken grains during milling as compared to the other paddy varieties. The millers had agreed to mill hybrid paddy varieties after much persuasion, but had imposed cuts on the price paid to farmers cultivating these varieties.
This year, 32.49 lakh hectares is under paddy cultivation, out of which 6.81 lakh hectares is under basmati varieties. In the Majha region, the area under hybrid varieties has gone up appreciably because of the higher yields.
To Read more about Rice News continue reading Agriinsite.com
Source : News Arena India NAI
