Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday said the state government’s crop diversification drive has helped increase the area under basmati cultivation by 12.58 per cent during the current kharif season. The minister said cultivation of long grain rice has increased to 6.71 lakh hectare as against 5.96 lakh hectare in the last kharif season. Giving district-wise figures of basmati cultivation, Khudian said Amritsar is leading with 1.46 lakh hectare area under this aromatic rice.
Hoping for a good harvest this time
After Amritsar, Basmati is cultivated in 1.10 lakh hectares in Muktsar, 84.9 thousand hectares in Fazilka, 72.5 thousand hectares in Tarn Taran and 49.8 thousand hectares in Sangrur. The minister said that the state has banned the use of 10 pesticides in this aromatic crop to raise the export quality of Basmati to world-class standards.
MEP of rice should be reduced
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday urged the Central government to reduce the minimum export price (MEP) of basmati rice from $950 to $750 per tonne to ensure better prices for farmers as well as enhance the competitiveness of the variety in the international market.The SAD president said though a bumper crop is expected this year, basmati farmers will not benefit if the government does not review the MEP for this rice variety. “Industrialists are not able to export at the current MEP as Pakistan is exporting the product at $750 per tonne MEP. This has also impacted the international basmati market and created uncertainty,” he said.
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