Basmati cultivation up 12.6% in Punjab, Amritsar tops chart
Punjab’s Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian announced a 12.58% increase in basmati cultivation this kharif season, reaching 6.71 lakh hectares. Additionally, direct seeded rice (DSR) area has grown by 46.5% to over 2.52 lakh acres. Khudian emphasized that the government has banned 10 pesticides to improve export quality. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal urged a reduction in the minimum export price (MEP) of basmati rice from $950 to $750 per tonne to enhance competitiveness and farmer profitability.
Punjab agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday informed that the crop diversification drive has received a significant boost as Punjab witnessed a notable 12.58% increase in the area under basmati cultivation this kharif season. The long-grain basmati rice requires less water than the water-guzzling paddy.
The minister mentioned that the cultivation of the long-grain rice has expanded to 6.71 lakh hectares, a significant increase from the 5.96 lakh hectares in the previous kharif season.
Listing the district-wise statistics of basmati cultivation, Khudian highlighted that Amritsar district led the way with 1.46 lakh hectares dedicated to this aromatic rice. Following Amritsar were Muktsar with 1.10 lakh hectares, Fazilka with 84,900 hectares, Tarn Taran with 72,500 hectares and Sangrur with 49,800 hectares, showcasing maximum basmati cultivation in these districts.
Khudian also highlighted a substantial 46.5% growth in the area under direct seeded rice (DSR) in comparison to the previous year. The area cultivated using the water-saving DSR method has increased to over 2.52 lakh acres, a rise from 1.72 lakh acres in the kharif season of 2023.
Khudian said the state government has prohibited the use of 10 pesticides on basmati to enhance the export quality of the aromatic crop to a world-class standard.
Sukhbir for reduction in minimum export price
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has urged the Union government to reduce the minimum exports price (MEP) of basmati from $950 to $750 per tonne to ensure a better price for basmati farmers as well as ensure competitiveness of the variety in the international market.
In a statement issued here, he said though a bumper harvest is expected this year, basmati farmers will not be benefitted in case the government doesn’t review the MEP for the rice variety. “Industrialists are not able to export at the current MEP because Pakistan is exporting the product at an MEP of $750 per tonne,”he added.
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