Upload
chi005
View
224
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Basmati gives big boost to Crop
diversification
Moga | Sunday, Dec 8 2013 IST
Basmati took a big leap forward in crop diversification with
Basmati recording booming success this season, production
expected to touch 25 lakh tonne as compared to 18.5 lakh tonne
last year.
The cultivation area under basmati also increased to 5.60 lakh
hectare against 4.58 lakh last year, said Dr BS Sidhu, Agriculture
Commissioner Punjab at Budh Singh Wala Krishi Vigyan Kendra
(BSWKVK) yesterday while addressing scientists.
He also observed that crop fetched good price of Rs 4700 per
quintal as compared to 2200 to 2500 last year proving a boon for
farmers this year. Dr Sidhu claimed that state government has
taken initiative by exempting of 2 per cent mandi board fee, 2 per
cent rural development fund and 3 per cent waiving of
infrastructure cess helping buyers to benefit 7 per cent. This
move aimed to encourage state's food processing industry and
crop diversification programme.
He also observed that 80 per cent of basmati grown is the 1121
variety. There is a big demand of aromatic varieties of basmati in
overseas markets resulting farmers getting good returns of
basmati crop this year.
COMMENTS PRIN
T
He also stated that Punjab accounts for about 40 per cent of
country's basmati rice production estimated between 4 to 5
million tonnes.
Patiala, Sep 29, 2013 -
When paddy procurement starts from October 1, the farmers who have sown basmati
varieties in the kharif season will find no minimum support price (MSP) for their crop.
The failure of the union government to declare any MSP for basmati varieties will allow
private traders to exploit the farmers with monopolistic prices that will vary across grain
markets. The trend is that the government agencies don't procure basmati varieties, and
local traders and private agencies are the only buyers.
The state government also failed to ensure MSP, in spite of encouraging farmers to go
with the basmati varieties under the crop diversification plan. For reducing the area
under water-guzzling traditional paddy, more than 6-lakh hectares is under different
varieties of basmati, compared with 4.5-lakh hectares last year.
In the agriculture policy draft, Punjab State Farmers' Commission (PSFC) chairman GS
Kalkat had proposed to the government to motivate farmers to grow basmati varieties,
maize, vegetables, cereals and pulses, but at the same time, also offer them adequate
subsidy on seed, better marketing facilities, and good MSP to implement the
diversification plan.
Compared with the other varieties of paddy, basmati are sown in July generally and
consume less water, which reduces the farmers' input cost. Regular varieties take 160 to
170 days to mature and require more water.
Basmati's previous average price has been ' 2,800 per quintal (depending upon variety)
against ' 1,310 for non-basmati varieties. This season, the yield from PR 115 basmati
variety has started reaching at many grain markets in the district but basmati's main
variety, PUSA 1121, sown over 5-lakh hectares, will reach the markets only in the third
week of October.
'Good for only couple of seasons'
"Farmers can grow basmati for two or three seasons, after which they'll be reluctant, if
they don't get help in marketing and prices," said Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan)
general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan. "Who will be responsible in case farmers
failed to get adequate price for the crop?" he added.
For almost the same input cost, the per-hectare yield was far less in case of basmati, said
Kokri Kalan. "If the government can't ensure MSP, it should also not drive farmers to
exploitation at the hands of private traders, who fix rates arbitrarily," he further said. In
some respite to farmers, the Punjab government has decided to waive rural development
fund and market fee of 4% on the purchase of basmati by local millers.